The Bangalore-based Himalaya Drug Company, which has pioneered the contemporization of Ayurveda through the use of scientific research, today signed a MoU with the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (UAS, B) to facilitate collaborative research on medicinal herbs and plants with a view to discovering new therapeutic drugs, building a corpus of knowledge on herbs and preserving endangered herbs and plants.

The research tie-up will leverage the academic resources and research capabilities of the UAS, B and the R&D strength of Himalaya to promote better understanding of herbs, their actions and benefits and hopefully develop new therapeutic drugs that will benefit a large number of people.

Signed by Dr. S. K. Mitra, Executive Director, (R&D), The Himalaya Drug Company and Dr. P.G. Chengappa, Vice-Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, the agreement extends for a period of 5 years from the date of signing.

Under the agreement Himalaya will take up research based projects on location specific problems and prepare joint research projects beneficial to both parties.

UAS will provide Himalaya with necessary information and research guidance to set up a repository of diversified group of plants with special reference to rare, endemic, endangered, ornamental, medicinal and economic plants. The University will also facilitate joint research projects on specific new cultivars of economic plants for commercial exploitation by tissue culture.

In addition, UAS will provide training to farmers under Himalaya’s contract farming programme, assist Himalaya in setting up a botanical garden which would serve as a centre for national and international research activities and provide technical assistance and education to Himalaya scientists as the company moves towards its process of organic certification.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. S.K. Mitra, Executive Director, (R&D) The Himalaya Drug Company said, “This is a time of great excitement for all of us at Himalaya, especially the scientific and agricultural teams. With the world moving towards all things natural, herbal healthcare is being embraced like never before. The possibility of discovering remedies through augmented botanical research that will help people live richer, fuller and healthier lives is surely something to look forward to.”

“UAS is one of the country’s most revered research institutions and as such is equipped with the necessary skills and facilities to assist Himalaya in its research. The partnership will facilitate knowledge transfer, resource sharing, training and exchange of ideas. The focus will be on taking research out of the lab and into the market, where its full potential can be realized. We believe this collaboration will help us take research on herbs and plants to new levels,” added Dr. Mitra.

Responding, Dr. Chengappa, Vice Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences said, “UAS and Himalaya share a common passion for scientific study and research of herbs. Through this partnership we would like to promote research that will have practical application- either in the way of developing new products or promoting better farming practices, or adding to the knowledge system of herbs and plants. It also opens up opportunities for our students to engage with a company involved in advanced herbal research and understand what drives research and development outside of an academic environment. We hope that our work together will yield many positive results which will have far-reaching benefits for humanity.”

“Research is an important growth-driver in any industry and is critical for the pharmaceutical industry. One of the goals set by Karnataka State’s agricultural policy is to make agricultural research more practical so that it ends up finding practical use either in the farm on in the everyday lives of people. Universities play a crucial role in knowledge development because of their focus on research. However, for a long time they have operated in an insulated environment as a result of which the fruits of research are not being enjoyed by the wider community. Our partnership with Himalaya is a step towards fostering greater collaboration between industry and university with the objective of making research more result-driven and effective,” said Dr. T.K. Prabhakara Setty, Director of Research, UAS.

As part of the agreement, the scientific representatives of Himalaya and UAS, will regularly review the findings and results, perform critiques and make plans and recommendations. The research findings will be tried on farmers’ fields through farm trials and demonstrations with the active participation of UAS and Himalaya’s agro-technology division. Research findings as a result of this collaborative work will be published in scientific and technical journals with joint authorship.

About the R&D Centre, The Himalaya Drug Company

The R&D Centre, The Himalaya Drug Company Bangalore comprises of more than 100 multidisciplinary scientists, with vast experience in various disciplines of natural product research like Analytical Chemistry, Formulation and Development, Phytochemistry, New Drug Discovery, Novel Drug Delivery Systems, Pharmacognosy, Preclinical toxicology and Pharmacology, in vitro mutagenecity, Immunology/ Virology, Clinical Pharmacology and Agriculture. The R&D team at Himalaya conducts studies on natural products to determine the efficacy of herbs, authentication of herbs, standardization, isolation of new molecules, structure elucidation and stability studies, safety and efficacy in preclinical as well as clinical situations. The Himalaya R&D centre is recognized by the Department of Science and Technology and also approved by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka for conducting research. It also has to its credit, various certifications like ISO-14000, ISO-9001: 2000 etc.

About The Himalaya Drug Company

The Bangalore based Himalaya Drug Company was formed in 1930 with a vision to bring Ayurveda to society in a contemporary form. Since its inception, the company has focused on developing safe, natural and innovative remedies that will help people lead richer, healthier lives. Today, 78 years later, Himalaya’s products have found remarkable acceptance with over 2,50,000 doctors around the globe and consumers in over 65 countries.

The legacy of researching nature forms the foundation of Himalaya’s operations. Himalaya has pioneered the use of modern science to rediscover and validate its herbal formulations. Cutting edge technology is employed to create pharmaceutical-grade herbal products.

Himalaya has launched a wide range of products in the categories of pharmaceuticals, personal care, consumer health and animal health. The company is presently working on herbal medicines for various tropical diseases, terminal illnesses like cancer and AIDS, and lifestyle related disorders. In fact, Himalaya has filed 18 global patents for many of its pharmaceutical and personal care products.

Himalaya continues to expand its global presence entering new markets and consolidating its position in present markets. It has set up hubs in Singapore, Dubai and USA.

About The University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore (UAS, B)

The University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore (UAS,B) is an Educational and Research and Development institution established under the provisions of the UAS Act No. 22 of 1963 with its headquarters at GKVK Bangalore, and a number of Agricultural Research stations and Colleges under its control. The University has the responsibility to undertake research in agricultural and allied sciences, and apply this research in assisting the farming community of