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India’s Ayurveda industry is undergoing a decisive transformation, anchored in rigorous research and development, integration of advanced technologies, and strong interdisciplinary collaboration, said Jayashree Ullal, COO & CFO, Himalaya Drug Company.
This approach strengthens clinical evidence, enhances quality assurance, and fosters collaboration among scientists, clinicians, and the industry, positioning Ayurveda as a credible, future-ready healthcare system with growing national and global relevance, she added.
The world is recognising the role of Ayurveda in holistic wellness and preventive health. It is here Himalaya Wellness is working to synergise the integration of the timeless and time-tested principles of Ayurveda with cutting-edge technology to offer research-based, evidence-led, scientifically validated, safe, efficacious, quality products to millions of people in India and globally, said Jayasree at the 74th IPC, Bengaluru.
The very theme of the 74th edition ‘AI and Technology in pharma with a purpose to Educate, innovate and empower’ is itself a powerful and profound concept, she said.
As the Pharmacy of the World, India is acknowledged for its commitment to quality and safety. To this end, Indian pharma and Ayurveda’s success is backed by three focus areas: One is R&D, second is quality, safety and compliance to international standards making our medicines globally acceptable because of the commitment to transparency, regulatory compliance and robust systems and process that make these medicines reliable. Third is educating, training and empowering young talents who are the torchbearers of this industry. We need to create a talent pool to face the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow, said Jayashree.
However, amid all these advances, the industry fundamentally operates on a strong bedrock of technology. Any seismic shift in technology will cause a disruption. If we lead in technology and are its early adopters, then tech can be an enabler and a game changer. It is a digital revolution where artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain are super critical. Especially with AI, we are on the brink of an impactful and transformative advancement, she noted.
For instance, drug discovery with AI algorithms can analyse huge data both multi and meta points to identify potential drug candidates, predict drug efficacy, and even anticipating negative impact or side effects, in all increasing the probability of success of a drug during development itself, she said.
AI enables personalised treatment plans that can be monitored for compliance of the prescribed medications. In clinical trial, AI has transformed the process of patient recruitment, monitoring the trial progress and analysing the test results on-the-go in real time. Even in supply chain and manufacture, AI along with Industry 4.0, SKADA, IoT, takes on surveillance. AI makes these processes transparent, increases operational efficiencies for timely intervention and correction. Yet there are limitations of AI including AI hallucinations, from data lake to data privacy, LLM, Wrapper and prompt governance, said Jayshree.
The industry demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability through green manufacturing practices, responsible power and water usage, and robust waste management systems. We see the 74th IPC as not just a platform for exchange of ideas, but a commemoration of India’s leadership in healthcare driven by a shared goal to replace illness with wellness which can be achieved with collaboration between academia, scientists, doctors, policy makers, regulators, industry and channel partners, said Jayshree.
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