- The Government of India has established the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) as a subordinate office under the Ministry of Ayush.
- Government has merged the Pharmacopoeia Commission of Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and the two central laboratories namely:
- Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and
- Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL).
- PCIM&H is an autonomous body under the aegis of Ministry of Ayush, established since 2010.
- Pharmacopoeia is an officially recognized book of standards as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 thereunder.
- As per the Second Schedule of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, it is designated as the official book of standards for drugs imported and/or manufactured for sale, stock or exhibition for sale or distribution in India.
- It specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their identity, purity and strength.
Functions:
- The Commission is engaged in development of Pharmacopoial Standards for Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathic drugs
- PCIM&H is also acting as Central Drug Testing cum Appellate Laboratory for Indian systems of Medicine & Homoeopathy.
Benefits
- Optimum use of infrastructural facilities, technical manpower and financial resources of the three organizations for enhancing their standardised outcomes.
- Focused and cohesive development of standards of AYUSH drugs and publication of pharmacopoeias and formularies.
- The merger intends to accord legal status to the merged structure of PCIM&H and its laboratory by making the necessary amendments and enabling provisions in the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.
Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani Drugs Technical Advisory Board
- ASUDTAB is a statutory body under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
- It advises the central and state governments in regulatory matters of Accelerated Shelf Life Testing (ASLT) drugs.
- ASLT is an indirect method of measuring and estimating the stability of a product by storing the product under controlled conditions that increase the rate of degradation occurring in the product under normal storage conditions.
AYUSH OushadhiGunvattaEvamUttpadanSamvardhanYojana (AOGUSY):
- The Ministry of Ayush has implemented the Central Sector Scheme of AOGUSY.
- To enhance India’s manufacturing capabilities and exports of traditional medicinesand health promotion products under the initiative of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- To facilitate adequate infrastructural & technological upgradation and institutional activities in public and private sector for standardization, quality manufacturing and analytical testing of Ayush drugs & materials.
- To strengthen regulatory frameworks at Central and State level for effective quality control, safety monitoring and surveillance of misleading advertisements of Ayush drugs.
- To encourage building up synergies, collaborations and convergent approaches for promoting standards and quality of Ayush drugs & materials.
SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT