INVC NEWS
New Delhi,
The Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 have exclusive provisions for the regulation and quality control of Ayurvedic medicines. The licensing and quality control of Ayurvedic medicines is under the purview of State Governments and the legal provisions are framed or amended by the Central Government. Good Manufacturing Practices and Quality Standards for manufacturing of Ayurvedic medicines are prescribed in the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 and Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia and authoritative books listed in Schedule I of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940. Authenticity of the medicines is checked on the basis of standards of identity, purity and strength prescribed in the pharmacopeia. For this purpose Central Government has set up Pharmacopoeial Laboratory of Indian Medicine, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
There are 27 State Drugs Testing Laboratories for testing of Ayurvedic medicines and raw materials. 41 private sector laboratories are also approved under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945 for carrying out testing of Ayurvedic drugs & raw materials. Pharmacopoeial Commission of India Medicine & Homoeopathy and Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee are in place to develop quality standards and Standard Operating Procedures for the manufacturing of Ayurvedic drugs.
Under National AYUSH Mission, Central Government provides financial support to the States for strengthening the infrastructural and functional capacity of the Drugs Testing Laboratories, Pharmacies, Enforcement Framework and Testing of drugs. Two statutory bodies in the name of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani Drugs Technical Advisory Board (ASUDTAB) and Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani Drugs Consultative Committee (ASUDCC) are constituted under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 to advise the Central and State Governments in technical and enforcement matters of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs respectively.
Ayurvedic Hospitals attached to All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur (Rajasthan), Institute of Postgraduate Teaching & Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar (Gujarat) and Banaras Hindu University are financed by the Central Government. There are thirty Ayurvedic Research cum Treatment Centres as part of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), which is an autonomous organization totally supported by the Central Government. There are seventeen Centres of Excellence having Ayurvedic treatment facility which are supported by the Central Government. Under National AYUSH Mission, a large number of co-located AYUSH facilities are also supported at PHCs, CHCs, District Hospitals and dispensaries etc.
