Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Thursday, Jun 03, 2004
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Thursday, Jun 03, 2004 |
||
|
|
||
|
Corporate
-
Announcements Himalaya Drug to steer clear of patent route Our Bureau
Chennai , June 2 THE Himalaya Drug Company does not intend to patent its herbal pharmaceutical products in order to keep their manufacturing processes secret, a strategy that is at odds with the current trend in the Indian healthcare industry. Patent applications reveal details about processes and eventually end up in public domain. Himalaya's President & CEO, Mr Ravi Prasad, said the company preferred to keep its processes to itself. As an analogy, he said Coca-Cola did not bother to get a patent for its process. Even if all herbal healthcare companies rely on common Ayurvedic texts, the end products need not have the same effect, said Mr Prasad. This is where manufacturing processes play a critical role. Though Himalaya sells herbal drugs, it validates them in the manner of allopathic drugs. Mr Prasad explained that only Indian herbal products validated by modern science are accepted internationally. "Himalaya is the forerunner in putting research into these products," he added. A key drug in the company's portfolio, Liv 52, is the only herbal product registered as medicine in Switzerland, said Mr Prasad. Himalaya's products are sold in over 55 countries. The company puts its products through clinical trials on humans in the manner of allopathic drugs. The second and third phases of clinical trials are carried out in leading Indian hospitals such as All-India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi and KEM hospital in Mumbai. Mr Prasad said a key consideration in selecting a hospital is that it should have an ethics committee that would vet Himalaya's proposals. Finally, the results of the tests are published in medical journals, in India and abroad, said Mr Prasad.
More Stories on : Announcements | IPR | Pharmaceuticals | Alternative Medicines
Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page
|
Stories in this Section |
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2004, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line
|