Ministry of Ayush, government of India signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with United States Pharmacopeial Convention for cooperation in the field of traditional medicine.
The aim is to promote the safety, quality and integrity of traditional medicines and botanical dietary supplements, the government said.
The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide.
The initiative will be executed by the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy along with USP by collaborating in the identification, development, and dissemination of science-based standards in this field at an international level.
The goal of the MOU is to enhance public health in India, USA, and globally by working together to increase the awareness and understanding of quality traditional /herbal medicines, botanical dietary supplements, and their products.
It will also seek to increase the availability and access to needed public standards for traditional and herbal medicines, botanical dietary supplements, and their products.
Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) is an autonomous organization under Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India with a primary mandate to develop pharmacopoeial standards for drugs/formulations used under Ayurveda Siddha Unani (ASU) and Homoeopathic systems of Medicine.
The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention’s public standards provide scientifically validated test methods and cover over 250 botanical ingredients and dosage forms including ashwagandha, turmeric, turmeric extract, and others. These globally-recognized standards are developed in a transparent process that reflects the input of a wide range of stakeholders, with the guidance of volunteer experts globally from regulators (like the FDA, USDA and State Boards of Pharmacy) as well as manufacturers, healthcare practitioners, academia and consumer groups.