3. Reasons for Selecting this segment
• Despite all the marvelous advancements in modern
medicine, traditional medicine has always been practiced.
• More than 70% of the developing world's population depends on
the complementary and alternative systems of medicine (CAM).
• Cultural beliefs and practices often lead to self-care or home
remedies in rural areas and consultation with traditional healers.
• Evidence-based CAM therapies have shown remarkable success in
healing acute as well as chronic diseases.
• Alternative therapies have been utilized by people in Pakistan who
have faith in spiritual healers, clergymen, Hakeems, Homoeopaths
or even many Family-descendant Practitioners.
• These are the first choice for problems such as
infertility, epilepsy, psychosomatic troubles, depression and many
other ailments.
4. Current Scenario
• The segment has gained strong momentum from the
World Health Organization realizing that the modern
medicine alone cannot achieve the goal of health in
any of the Global Health Regions of the World
• WHO Regional Offices:
• WHO African region
• WHO Region of the Americas
• WHO South-East Asia Region
• WHO European Region
• WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region
• WHO Western Pacific Region
5. Products/ Services Available in the
Local Market
• The traditional medicine sector has become an important source of
health care, especially in rural and tribal areas of the country.
Thousands of Pharmaceutical Preparations under Natural Products
or Herbal Products are used
• Health Sector all over the country renders variable sort of OPD
Clinic services with remarkable Products’ range
• Now as the system is getting more popularity, Tertiary Care i.e.
Hospitalization has also commenced
• Qualification (Bachelor & Post-graduate) has been recognized by he
HEC and practitioners are now required to be Degree holders from
recognized Universities of the country. The Physicians of this walk of
Medicine are rendering services to the population of our country.
Shifa ul Mulk Memorial Hospital
6. These Services are supported by proper
Institutional R & D Programs
Faculty of
CultivationDrip Irrigation
MINFAL Project
HACEM-MAH
Hamdard
Foundation
Pakistan
40-Yrs +
Publications
BH-HU Libr.
Databank of
Ethno-Botanical
Literature
Manufacturing
Laboratories
Hamdard
(Waqf)
Center For
Horticulture,
Hydrochemistry
Lab. HU-MAH
HACEM
Hamdard
University
+ Shifaul Mulk
Hospital
HMIIPHS
Instt. of
Pharmacol. &
Herbal Scs.
Eastern
MedicineHamdUniv
9. Marketing chain for medicinal plants
collected in Swat, Pakistan
OTHER
COUNTRIES
CHINA
OTHER
COUNTRIES
SWAT
AFGHANISTAN
PESHAWAR
INDIA
RAWALPINDI
OTHER NATIONAL
MARKETS
LAHORE
KARACHI
IRAN
OTHER
COUNTRIES
12. Many developing country populations use TM to help meet health care needs, while many populations in
developed countries have used CAM at least once
Sources: Eisenberg DM et al, 1998; Fisher P & Ward A, 1994; Health Canada, 2001; World Health Organization,
1998; and government reports submitted to WHO.
13. Market Segment of Herbal Drugs
• Global sales of herbal products now exceed a
staggering US$40 billion a year.
• From the more than 250+ Companies
manufacturing Medicine, 44 are
manufacturing Traditional/Herbal Drugs
• Around 70–80% of the population, particularly
in rural areas, uses CAM therapies.
14. Consumers Attraction
How is herbal medicine sold in stores?
• The herbs available in most stores come in several different
forms: teas, syrups, oils, liquid extracts, tinctures, and dry
extracts (pills or capsules). Teas can be made from dried herbs
left to soak for a few minutes in hot water, or by boiling herbs
in water and then straining the liquid. Syrups, made from
concentrated extracts and added to sweet-tasting
preparations, are often used for sore throats and coughs. Oils
are extracted from plants and often used as rubs for
massage, either by themselves or as part of an ointment or
cream. Tinctures and liquid extracts are made of active herbal
ingredients dissolved in a liquid (usually water, alcohol, or
glycerol). Tinctures are typically a 1:5 or 1:10
concentration, meaning that one part of the herb is prepared
with five to ten parts (by weight) of the liquid. Liquid extracts
are more concentrated than tinctures and are typically a 1:1
concentration. A Dry extract form is the most concentrated
form of an herbal product (typically 2:1 - 8:1) and is sold as a
tablet, capsule, or lozenge.
15. Regulation
• Currently, no organization or agency properly regulates
the manufacture or certifies the labeling of herbal
preparations. This means you can't be sure that the
amount of the herb contained in the bottle, or even
from dose to dose, is the same as what is stated on the
label. Some herbal preparations are standardized,
meaning that the preparation is guaranteed to contain
a specific amount of the active ingredients of the herb.
However, it is still important to ask companies making
standardized herbal products about their product's
guarantee. It is important to talk to your doctor or an
expert in herbal medicine about the recommended
doses of any herbal products.
18. Pakistan
• There is One regulating Body i.e. National Council
for Tibb, and One for Homoeopathy which
regulate the overall operation of the registration
of Practitioners but it has no good control over
the manufacture, sale, quality control like issues.
Cost of such medicines is therefore erratic and
most of the time self regulated by the
companies/ manufacturers or importers. Bill for
all such issues addressed is pending with the
National Assembly which deals with
Standardization, Quality Control and Safety as
well.
19. Cost structure
• Herbal Drugs/ Medicinal Plants and Natural
Products obtained from these are not regulated
properly
• Two bigger markets viz. Akbari Mandi Lahore and
Karachi observe cost regulation linked with
availability and demand rather than state control
Natural Products Cost is rising
due to many factors e.g. Import,
Seasonal variation, Excessive
Utilization, Environmental
Regulations, etc.
20. Finished Products
• Raw Material Cost ultimately effects the Finished
Products (Saffron……all products)
• The raw products’ cost is however lower as compared
to finished products due to additives cost, labor,
packing/printing, advertising, selling procedures etc.
• Pakistan Tibbi Manufacturers Association and Pakistan
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association also play
some role regarding these phenomenon but its not
much effective.
• Of course it has risen as less an attractive market as
compared to India’s more than 2Billion, due to the
slow pace of our recognition of Traditional Medicine
sector as potential health sector to be incorporated
into mainstream Healthcare system.
21. The world’s poorest countries are most in need of inexpensive,
effective treatments for diseases. WHO estimates that onethird of the global population still lacks regular access to
essential drugs, and that in the poorest parts of Africa and
Asia, this figure rises to over 50%. In these regions, some form
of TM is often a more widely available and more affordable
source of health care. However, if access to TM is to be
increased to help improve health status, two issues must be
tackled. They are: development of reliable standard indicators
to accurately measure levels of access, and collection of
qualitative data to identify constraints to extending access.
22. References
Babar T. Shaikh1,* and Juanita Hatcher2 (2005) Complementary and Alternative Medicine in
Pakistan: Prospects and Limitations. eCAM Advance Access originally published online on April
20, 2(2):139-142.
Subhuti Dharmananda (2004) UNANI MEDICINE with Reference to Hamdard of Pakistan and
India Institute for Traditional Medicine and Preventive Health Care.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamdard_(Wakf)_Laboratories.
Chishti, Hakim (1990). The traditional healer's handbook: a classic guide to the medicine of
Avicenna. Inner Traditions / Bear & Company. ISBN 0892814381.
Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman (2001) Unani Medicine in India: Its Origin and Fundamental Concepts
History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, Vol. IV Part 2 (Medicine and Life
Sciences in India), Ed. B. V. Subbarayappa, Centre for Studies in Civilizations, Project of History of
Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture, New Delhi, pp. 298-325
"Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM)". Traditional Knowledge Digital
Library. http://www.tkdl.res.in/tkdl/LangSpanish/Unani/Una_ccrum.asp?GL=
Wold Health Organization (WHO) Traditional medicine, Fact sheet N°134 , December 2008
Alternative medicine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine. Accessed Jan.16,
2011.
Astin JA (May 1998). Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national study. JAMA
279 (19): 1548–53.
Bodeker, G., Ong, C.K., Grundy, C., Burford, G., Shein, K. (2005) WHO Global Atlas of Traditional,
Complementary and Alternative Medicine , WHO Kobe Centre, 347 pp.