Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, develops herb-based pain pill

The Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) in Jammu has developed a capsule formulation from the medicinal herb Bergenia ciliata for pain management in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and transferred the technology to a Mumbai-based pharma company.

IIIM functions under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

“We have developed a new gastroretentive sustained release capsule formulation IIIM-160-SR for management of pain in rheumatoid arthritis from Bergenia ciliata, which is one of the most important medicinal herbs in India that grows wild in the temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan,” the institute said in a statement.

It said IIIM-160-SR is a unique formulation that protects bergenin from the intestinal environment by retaining the capsule in the stomach.

“The gastroretentive feature along with sustained release property of the formulation results in improved plasma exposure of bergenin in Sprague Dawley rats,” it said, adding that the patent for the formulation has been filed in India, the US, Canada and Europe.

CSIR-IIIM had earlier carried out a systematic study on this botanical lead for its anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic as well as for anti-nociceptive activity in various cellular and animal models.

“The safety profile of the lead has been demonstrated in regulatory toxicology studies, and the institute has also secured a patent on the product. The product is aimed at managing the pain in rheumatoid arthritis via its dual activity against pain as well as inflammation, it said.

The CSIR-IIIM technology has been licensed to Viridis Biopharma Pvt Ltd in Mumbai for manufacture and marketing as nutraceutical products in India and abroad.

IIIM director D.S. Reddy said he is delighted about the technology transfer of Bergenia ciliata-based IIIM-160-SR in the nutraceutical category to Viridis Biopharma and is looking forward to a fruitful collaboration between the research institute and the industry.

"CSIR-IIIM is also continuing working on development of phytopharmaceutical drugs from this plant. Phytopharmaceuticals is a new class of drugs from plant source and in India it has great potential owing to its great strength in Indian System of Medicine and having a very unique biodiversity,” he said.

Reddy said phytopharmaceuticals drugs would prove to be very beneficial in future as it is a balanced approach that combines traditional wisdom of Indian System of Medicine and scientific development and validation using modern science.

Viridis Biopharma managing director Ashit Vora said chronic arthritic pain is a problem faced by a large section of ageing population and there is a dire need for safe alternative therapies.

Supplementation with evidence-based science supported nutraceutical/dietary supplements will be well accepted in the marketplace, he said.

Viridis is excited to partner with CSIR-IIIM and bring this novel Bergenia ciliata-based product to the market for improving the health and quality of life of individuals suffering from various arthritic conditions.