WHO–IRCH International Workshop | 09 Aug 2025

Why in News? 

The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), Ministry of Ayush, hosted the inaugural session of the WHO–International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) Workshops on “Safety and Regulation of Herbal Medicines” (Working Group-1) and “Efficacy and Intended Use of Herbal Medicines” (Working Group-3) at its headquarters in Ghaziabad. 

  • India, as the lead country for Working Groups 1 and 3, is committed to strengthening international regulatory cooperation through the WHO–IRCH platform. 

Key Points 

  • About: The global technical workshop, organized jointly by the Ministry of Ayush and WHO, is being held from 6th to 8th August 2025, with senior representatives from WHO Member States, regulatory authorities, academia, research bodies, and the herbal medicine industry in attendance. 
    • Bringing together experts from across WHO Member States and Observer States, the workshops aim to deliberate on key aspects such as regulatory convergence, quality assurance, and the clinical relevance of herbal medicines in traditional systems of healthcare. 
    • The agenda includes hands-on training sessions in herbal drug standardisation techniques such as pharmacognostic, chemical, and elemental analysis.  
    • Site visits to prominent Ayush institutions are also planned to provide international participants with first-hand exposure to clinical, academic, and manufacturing practices. 
    • The workshops have attracted participants from several countries under the WHO-IRCH umbrella, including Poland, Nepal, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, etc. 

Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) 

  • Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), is a subordinate office under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. 
  • Development of Pharmacopoeias and Formularies as well as acting as Central Drug Testing cum Appellate Laboratory for Indian systems of Medicine & Homoeopathy are the key fields of activity of PCIM&H. 

International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) 

  • International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH), established in 2006, is a global network of regulatory authorities responsible for regulation of herbal medicines.  
  • Its mission is to collaborate and share the best practices to help WHO in its recommendations to the members on improving the regulation of herbal medicines as well as raise awareness regarding their safe use in health and wellbeing.