Clinical trials must for Ayurvedic drugs: Experts
Ayurvedic drugs are being prescribed for chronic conditions too.
Hyderabad: While allopathy drugs undergo clinical trials to measure their efficacy, it is very important for herbal and also ayurvedic drugs to undergo such tests too, exhorted drug manufacturers.
With cancer treatment under Ayurveda to be available in the next one year, drug manufacturers want to know whether the new combinations in Ayurveda will also undergo clinical trials.
With integrated medicines and combinational treatment options, ayurvedic drugs are being prescribed for chronic conditions too. A senior allopathic doctor said, “Like the chemical combinations of modern medicine are scrutinised, the same must be done for Ayurveda as they are now being used in integrated treatments.”
The new rules by the DCGI, exempting clinical trials carried out in hospitals and medical institutions for academic research, need to take herbal and also ayurvedic medicines into account, exhort experts.
A senior officer said, “If the outcomes from the trails are positive and give a new indication for treatment than they must be checked and verified like it is done for allopathic drugs.”
Presently, Ayurvedic drugs in the market are time-tested but there are new combinations emerging which require approvals of the drug controller. Senior naturopath Dr Amit Agarwal said, “With treatments like cancer to be treated under Ayurveda, it is becoming important to have clinical data justify it. Data from clinical trials is important so that people can verify it.”