The Ministry of Ayush, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and supported by the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), organised a three-day WHO–International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) workshop at Ghaziabad from August 6-8.
The workshop was inaugurated by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, and Dr. Kim Sungchol, Chairperson, WHO-IRCH, in the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Ayush, WHO, and PCIM&H.
Delegations from Bhutan, Brunei, Cuba, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Paraguay, Poland, Sri Lanka and Uganda participated physically, while Brazil, Egypt, and the US joined virtually.
In his inaugural address, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha highlighted India’s leadership as the lead country for WHO-IRCH Working Group 1 on Safety & Regulation and Working Group 3 on Efficacy & Intended Use.
He reaffirmed India’s commitment to enhancing global regulatory cooperation in the herbal medicines sector.
He also outlined key digital initiatives under the Ayush Grid, including the Ayush Suraksha Portal for real-time tracking of misleading advertisements and pharmacovigilance, and e-Aushadhi, an integrated IT platform for licensing of ASU&H medicines.
The workshop featured detailed country presentations on safety, regulation, efficacy, and intended use of herbal medicines.
Expert lectures covered standardisation and quality control of herbal medicines, regulatory case studies, best practices in pre-clinical research, unique scenarios in herbal medicine research, WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, registration of clinical trials, best practices in clinical trials, and pharmacovigilance from both WHO and Ayush perspectives.
Sessions also included discussions on the WHO Global Benchmark Tool for Herbal Medicines and case studies on the safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera).