Ayurvedic practitioners and researchers in India and the US are planning to initiate joint clinical trials for Ayurveda formulations against the novel coronavirus.
Joint Clinical Trials
Clinical trials for Ayurvedic formulations against Covid-19 would be initiated in India and the United States. In a virtual interaction with a group of eminent Indian-American scientists, academicians, and doctors, Indian Ambassador to the US said that the vast network of Institutions have been collaborating to promote Ayurveda through joint research, teaching and training programs. According to the ambassador, there are at least three ongoing collaborations between Indian vaccine companies with the US-based institutions.
The Indo-US Science Technology Forum (IUSSTF) has been instrumental in promoting excellence in science, technology, and innovation through collaborative activities. To address COVID-19-related challenges, the IUSSTF had given a call to support joint research and start-up engagements. These collaborations would be beneficial not just to India and the US, but also for the billions who would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 across the world.
There are over 200 ongoing NIH funded projects in India involving 20 institutions from NIH network and several eminent institutions in India engaged in a wide spectrum of research areas to create healthcare solutions. The collaboration under the Vaccine Action Programme (VAP) resulted in development of the ROTAVAC vaccine against rotavirus which causes severe diarrhea in children. The vaccine was developed by an Indian company (Bharat Biotech) at an affordable cost. It has been commercialised and introduced in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. Development of many other vaccines such as TB, Influenza, Chikungunya are also in progress under the VAP.
The experts who took part in interaction were drawn from a wide-ranging fields including artificial intelligence, quantum information science, biomedical engineering, robotics, mechanical engineering, earth and ocean science, virology, physics, astrophysics, and health sciences.
