[india-drug] Expiry date mandatory on Ayurvedic drugs labels soon

[Raj Vaidya <pharmhin@sancharnet.in>]

Govt to make expiry date mandatory on Ayurvedic drugs labels soon
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Friday, June 11, 2004 08:00 IST 
CH Unnikrishnan, Mumbai

The Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani
(ASU) has agreed in its last meeting a proposal put forward by experts
to enforce printing of expiry date on the labels of Ayurvedic drugs. 

With this move, the Ayurvedic products, which are not coming under the
relevant provisions of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, will be subjected to
the requirement of mentioning their shelf life on the labels. 

Though the shelf life of Ayurvedic and other Indian traditional drugs
are mentioned in the respective formularies, neither the government nor
the industry has ever bothered about revealing the expiry of these
drugs to the public so far.

The basic principle of shelf life is related with presence and absence
of efficacy and safety of the products. Thereby, the maximum period,
which the drug will remain safe and efficacious, is of paramount
importance as far as a therapeutic product is concerned. 

Although the herbal and Ayurvedic formularies have references of shelf
life of active ingredients in the original form as well as the
preparations, the DTAB members are of the view that the shelf life can
be increased by the new packaging technologies.

However, the DTAB has now decided to refer the issue to specify the
shelf life and expiry period of Ayurvedic ingredients and preparations
to the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee and the Committee has been
asked to submit the report within three months to the DTAB. 


Raj Vaidya, M.Pharm,
Community Pharmacist,
Hindu Pharmacy,
Cunha Rivara Road, P.B.No. 149,
Panaji - Goa - India 403001.
Tel : 91-832- 2223176, 2432903 (O), 2463926 (R).
Email : pharmhin@sancharnet.in 


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