The Himalayan Drug Company has been instrumental in converting
Ayurvedic herbal tradition into cutting edge medical technology.
It was founded in 1930 by M Manal, with the prime objective
of making quality phytopharmaceuticals available to the public
in standardized packages. A short time later M Misal, Manal's
brother, joined the Company.
The beginnings were humble. A hand operated tablet punching
machine was used to process herbal mixtures into single pills.
Later, the pharmaceutical Company
expanded its base. The discovery of the world's first antihypertensive
phytomedicine, SERPINAâ, was an exercise in serendipity. On
a trip to Burma, the ever curious Manal observed the local people
feeding some roots to elephants to pacify them. The plant, Rauwolfia
serpentina, Manal discovered, was not only a natural tranquilizer
but also had antihypertensive properties.
The Company's chairman Meraj A Manal, son of the founder, continues
to run the organization with the same spirit as his father.
Today, as an Indian multinational, their products have found
global acceptance with medical fraternities and consumers in
over 40 countries.
Research & Development
The company's R & D policy is based on the holistic approach
to the treatment of diseases. In-depth research and quality
control are the watch words here.
To satisfy this purpose, the company conducts primary research
on each of its medications for a period of about ten years before
introducing it to the public. The company policy manifests itself
in every facet of its R & D wing. In the quest to evolve error-free,
safe medical formulas, the R & D center of the Company exercises
utmost care researching old remedies and empirically validating
their efficacy and safety before each formulation is finalized.
To standardize these millennia-old formulations, the R & D center
pursues its ongoing research projects in several facilities,
each of which concentrates on these specific activities:
Pharmacognosy
Establishes the bona fides of herbal materials through morphological
and microscopic studies.
Maintenance of a herbarium of phyto-medical materials.
Formulation and Development
Carries out pre-formulation studies to check the bio-chemical
action of ingredients.
Conducts trials to assess the safety and efficacy of formulations.
Conducts accelerated stability trials to check the physical,
chemical, microbiological and biological
aspects.
Standardizes the process to ensure uniform quality.
Transfers technology to the production department.
Immuno-pharmacology
Seeks to study the mechanism of action of drugs at the
molecular level.
Attempts to understand the endogenous mediators involved
in the activity.
Works on developing immuno-protective agents to counter
opportunistic infections in AIDS,
carcinogenic malignancy, septic shock, organ transplantation
and chronic infections.
Seeks to substitute work with in-vitro (in the laboratory)
cell line models for in- vivo
(in the body) experiments.
All the above procedures are repeated in the Ayurvedic CONCEPTS
and Animal Health Product Divisions (AHP) to ensure that the
same high standards apply to all OTC consumer and veterinary
products.
Veterinary pharmacology
Studies the safety and efficacy of veterinary formulations
in experimental and clinical trials in different
species of animals.
Studies the mechanism of action in the formulations.
Achievements
The Himalaya Drug Company is the only phytopharmaceutical
company whose Ayurvedic product, Liv 52,
a hepato-protective formula, is registered as a
'pharmaceutical speciality' in Switzerland.
Himalaya's R & D has been recognized as a Research Centre
by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health
Sciences, Karnataka, India.
The WHO has sponsored a project, through the Ministry of
Health in India, to standardize medically
useful herbs. The Himalaya Drug Company is one of the
companies chosen for the project.
Company
expanded its base. The discovery of the world's first antihypertensive
phytomedicine, SERPINAâ, was an exercise in serendipity. On
a trip to Burma, the ever curious Manal observed the local people
feeding some roots to elephants to pacify them. The plant, Rauwolfia
serpentina, Manal discovered, was not only a natural tranquilizer
but also had antihypertensive properties. 
To satisfy this purpose, the company conducts primary research
on each of its medications for a period of about ten years before
introducing it to the public. The company policy manifests itself
in every facet of its R & D wing. In the quest to evolve error-free,
safe medical formulas, the R & D center of the Company exercises
utmost care researching old remedies and empirically validating
their efficacy and safety before each formulation is finalized.
