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BGR 34
An anti-diabetes herbal drug that costs Rs.5 per pill, developed by two Lucknow-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories, has been launched in parts of north India.
The drug, branded BGR-34, is a combination of natural extracts derived from four plant species mentioned in ancient Ayurveda texts. The drug available in the form of a 500 milligram (mg) pill is a twice-a-day treatment for patients suffering from type-2 diabetes.
The drug was jointly developed by two CSIR laboratories, the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), and was licensed to Delhi-based Aimil Pharamaceuticals Pvt. Ltd for commercialization.
Aimil will pay royalty on the drug’s sales to CSIR.
BGR-34 was approved by AYUSH—the ministry that deals with traditional Indian medicine—after testing on 1,000 patients over a period of 18 months across five states—Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Karnataka—with 67% patients showing normal blood sugar levels within 3-4 days of drug usage.
The drug, to be taken as an add-on or adjuvant to existing diabetes treatment, helps in maintaining normal blood glucose levels, in addition to improving the immune system, releasing antioxidants and checking free radicals.
“The modern diabetic drugs are known for side-effects and toxicity while BGR-34 works by controlling blood sugar and limiting the harmful effects of other drugs,” said A.K.S. Rawat, senior principal scientist at NBRI, in a telephone interview from Lucknow.
To be sure, BGR-34 isn’t the first herbal drug for diabetes to hit the market.
But it is different from existing herbal drugs as it is scientifically tested and made from four commonly available plant extracts like gurmar leaves which make it commercially viable. Gurmar, scientifically known as Gymnema sylvestre, is known to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin.
