BRICS moves towards formal cooperation on traditional medicine

NEW DELHI, SEPT 13: BRICS countries are set to deepen cooperation in traditional medicine, with the New Delhi Declaration welcoming a proposal to establish an Expert Working Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) under the grouping’s Health Track, officials of the Ministry of Ayush said on Sunday.

The proposed working group is expected to provide a formal platform for BRICS member countries to collaborate on research, evidence generation, quality standards and regulatory approaches related to traditional medicine.

The Declaration also called for greater joint research on medicinal plants and herbal preparations used for therapeutic and preventive purposes. It noted that the traditional pharmacopoeias of BRICS countries could provide a basis for developing safe, effective and affordable therapeutic products.

Union Minister of State for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav said the recognition of TCIM in the Declaration would strengthen cooperation among BRICS countries.

“The proposed working group will provide a platform for sharing knowledge and strengthening research,” he said.

Officials said the move follows a BRICS meeting on TCIM held in Chandigarh on July 21 during India’s BRICS chairship, where member countries discussed cooperation in research, education, knowledge exchange and regulatory frameworks. The meeting also reached consensus on the terms of reference for the proposed expert working group.

The Declaration stressed that TCIM practices and products should meet requirements relating to quality, safety and efficacy, based on scientific evidence and appropriate regulatory frameworks in individual countries.

For India, the initiative provides a platform to promote research and international collaboration on Ayurveda and other systems under the Ayush framework.

Officials said cooperation among BRICS countries could also help improve documentation of medicinal resources, research methodologies, pharmacopoeial standards and quality assurance.

The initiative comes as international health agencies increasingly focus on building evidence for the appropriate use of traditional medicine. By placing TCIM within the BRICS Health Track, member countries are seeking to move cooperation beyond knowledge exchange towards more structured research and regulatory collaboration.