The Hindu Business Line : Gamma Irradiation allowed in traditional drugs

Mumbai, Jan. 9 After food, Gamma Irradiation (GI) can now be used in herbal drugs Gato prevent microbial contamination, thereby increasing shelf-life and safety .

Traditional products using the ayurveda, siddha and unani (ASU) systems of medicine will benefit from the approval by the Union Health Ministry that allows a dose of 5-10 Kgy (KiloGrey), as recommended by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Traditional manufacturers can also now display the use of GI on the label of their containers for domestic sale and exports, Mr Ranjit Puranik with the Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturers’ Association (ADMA) told Business Line. Traditional medicines like a single-herb capsule, churans, several powders and even chywanprash can benefit from this technology, he said.

Exporters have in the past felt vulnerable using GI on their natural products, as some importing countries have reservations on this technology, he said. But the Health Ministry’s Department of Ayush, that handles traditional systems of medicine including Yoga, Nautopathy and Homeopathy, had undertaken a collaborative study at Jammu’s Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) and BARC to check the bio-efficacy of ayurvedic herbal drugs pre-treated by GI.

The results were evaluated by BARC’s Food and Technology division and experts of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia. At the recommended dose, it was found that the composition of the herbal product did not change, even as its quality was enhanced as microbes were controlled. As a result, companies making traditional products now have technical data backed by the Centre that supports the use of GI, and companies could use this study to tackle apprehensions raised in the export market, he said.

In the past, products like Isabgol, which is treated as an over-the-counter drug in some markets, and some gums were sent back from the US because of microbial contaminants, said an official with a multinational company that has a basket of ayurvedic products.

With the Centre recommending that, like food, ASU drugs too be given concessional charges for GI, more companies will use the technology for both export and domestic markets. Earlier companies used to get their raw material and powders treated at BARC’s franchisees across the country, he said.

About 250 companies cover about 90 per cent of the domestic ayurvedic market comprising 9,400 licensed manufacturers. The combined traditional medicines market is estimated at Rs 6,000-plus crore, besides an added Rs 450 crore of value-added exports. So if the larger companies go up the quality curve, it will largely benefit the consumer, said Mr Puranik. And the price to use this technology, at present at Rs 45 per cubic foot, could come down, he added.

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