Classically and in India, ayurvedic products are understood as medicines and are essential in clinical practice and in training. Switzerland has the privilege to get them registered as therapeutic products which are reimbursed, while in the West they are otherwise sold as cosmetics and food supplements.
Since 2010 Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for Ayurveda have become an intense debate in India, triggered and supported by the government, with subsequently important efforts made to ensure good quality and safety of the products throughout the country. International safety and quality requirements have also become a reference for producers who export their products with view to a sustainable development. This is not always easy to achieve due to requirement variations in the different countries.
When it comes to import, it is essential to be well informed about the producer and be in direct contact. Visiting a manufacturing unite and interacting with the persons in charge, is important, as obviously not all producers meet the various required standards on one hand, and on the other hand they need to be informed about the circumstances, regulations and requirements of the export destination.
Although it may represent a major challenge, efforts should be undertaken as far as possible on both, the political and regulatory as well as the trade and commercial level to make products available. The legal and regulatory aspects are essential for patient safety and for sustainability of the process. Import of products requires a specific import authorization by the local authorities for each category of products.
Challenges in the import of products range from reduced biodiversity leading to reduced availability of raw material/quality raw material, to limiting trade regulations and safety issues regarding the final products. There have been repeated concerns about heavy metal pollution. Although this is an issue that needs to be addressed, there is a confusion between heavy metals present in a refined purified form in a medicine, and heavy metals that are pollutants.
The import and sales of rasa shastra products, which are medicines containing purified metals, is prohibited in the West due to this confusion. Since 2010, numerous research studies conducted in India, in the public and the private sector, give evidence of the innocuity of these medicines when produced with respect to the science.
Distribution and sales in the West imply the knowledge about the category into which the product falls under the regulation in a given country: cosmetics, food supplement, therapeutic product. It also implies specific packaging and, according to the category of products, a specific labelling with detailed standardized written information for each product.
Ayurvedic products are a pillar of Ayurveda, browse the website below to see a list of Swiss approved therapeutic products.
