Y. Venkateswara RaoDabur Research Foundation

Overview Overview

Traditional Knowledge

What can be commercialized?

Why Commercialization?

Commercialization - process of commercialization

Benefit sharing:- What is already existing

What needs to be done?

Traditional KnowledgeTraditional Knowledge

• Traditional Knowledge generally resides in the books and also in people’s mind

• Traditional practices can only meet the requirements of limited population

• In certain cases valuable knowledge is present in remote areas without being utilized

What can be What can be commercialized?commercialized?

• Practices (e.g. Panchakarma)

• Knowledge (e.g. may in the form of books)

• Treatment practices

• Products- Prepared by Practitioners- Prepared by Industry

Why Why Commercialization?Commercialization?

• To make Traditional Knowledge & its benefits available to large section of the society

• To convert “tacit” knowledge to “explicit” knowledge

• To be a global player

CommercializationCommercialization

Commercialization to be effective we need to understand

• Consumer angle- needs and demands

• Steps involved in product development

• How to compete globally • Wedding of new technologies with traditional

systems / Processes

CommercializationCommercialization

Consumer angle:

• Understand consumer needs and demands

• Consumer concerns about commercialization of Traditional Knowledge

Consumer- Literature

-Wants relief

Doctor’s Psyche

Doctors-Qualified

- Knowledgeable-High ego

-Analytical mind-Business conscious

No-side effectsclaims

ACTS

Half baked

indications

100%efficacy claims

Educationon Quality

FaithBasedClaims

Peer ReviewedJournals

Multiple Indications

Institutions of Repute

RandomizedDouble Blind

ControlledCT Data

Traditionalusage

Does Not Accept

Level of data

Opinion Makerstalking

World Class

Parameters

Consumer- Literature

-Wants relief

Consumer- Literate

-Wants relief-Value for money-Self Medicates-Prefer Herbals

Easyacceptability

for Herbals

High acceptance ifprescribed by

Doctor

Product Appeal

preference forReputed

CompaniesProducts

Reassurancefor efficacy &

Safety

Convenienceand

Palatability

Poor Presentation

Only faith/Traditional

Usage

AcceptableNot

Acceptable

Consumers’ Psyche

CommercializationCommercialization

Steps involved in Product development

• Screening of ideas / traditional concepts• Concept testing• Raw material source / Product feasibility • Formulation development and standardization• Product testing / Market Research• Clinical study• Regulatory requirements• Launching

CommercializationCommercialization

Concept testing:

• To understand the consumer needs & demands

• To test the concept feasibility

• Also to understand the consumer concerns

CommercializationCommercializationValue addition:

Raw material

- Identification of raw material

- Raw material source

- Standardization of Raw material

- Development of appropriate dosage forms

- Assessment of its stability

- Development of quality parameters in the finished product

- Generating efficacy & safety data

Finished Product

CommercializationCommercialization

Product testing:

It is important

• To understand product characteristics

• To understand product preference

• Enable to improve product

CommercializationCommercialization

Clinical studies:

• Establishment of traditional claims through modern scientific methods

• Ensure the efficacy of the product

• To convince medical fraternity / consumer

• To meet the regulatory requirement

CommercializationCommercialization

Market Launching:

• Success rate of products (e.g.. Chyawanprash)

• Market competition

• Threat from copying / spurious products

Benefit SharingBenefit Sharing

Various forms of benefit sharing:

• Dissemination of traditional knowledge

• Improve the quality of life & Social awareness

• Providing better health benefits to a common man

• Better procurement price

• Royalty sharing

Benefit sharingBenefit sharing

Improve the quality of life:

Case Study: cultivation of medicinal plants initiative taken by Dabur Nepal

Objectives of the study:

• To conserve and propagate the threatened & valuable medicinal plants for socio-economic development

• To develop an infrastructure for the management, marketing and distribution of threatened & valuable medicinal plants through coordinating the individual enterprises, organizations and industries involved in production, use and trading of medicinal plants

Benefit sharing - Case Benefit sharing - Case StudyStudy

Study design:

• Semi-structured in-depth interviews

• Assessment of children, number of visits to the doctor or hospital, perceived health benefits

Benefit sharing - case Benefit sharing - case studystudy

Summary of findings:

• The level of awareness about sustainable usage is very encouraging

• Improvement in the house-hold income

• Improvement in the personal and family health

• More financial security

• Improved nutritional status and education of children

Benefit sharing - Benefit sharing - ProcurementProcurement

• Procurement of Amla

• Procurement from small scale industries

• Girijan societies - honey procurement

M.P Govt.Initiative

Tribals

Forest Corporation

Trader/Industry

Benefit sharing - clinical Benefit sharing - clinical studiesstudies

Clinical studies:

• Establishment of traditional claims through modern scientific studies e.g.: Chyawanprash

• Dissemination of clinical knowledge to the public

Benefit sharing - health Benefit sharing - health benefitsbenefits

• Improvement in the quality of products

• Improve the quality of life • Development of new molecules like “Taxol” through

Eco-friendly technology

Benefit sharing - royalty Benefit sharing - royalty sharingsharing

Arogyapacha Case:

• Initial lead obtained from Kani tribes

• TBGRI developed the technology

• Commercialized to a pharmaceutical firm

Problems in the agreement:

What needs to be done?What needs to be done?

• Incentives to cultivation of medicinal plants

• Promoting cultivation and sustainable usage - promoting industry

• Definite Government policy towards royalty sharing

• Increasing awareness among rural population about raw material procurement and distribution