CM Yogi Adityanath vows to nurture start-up ecosystem in UP

Lucknow, Sep 18 (IANS) Promising to nurture the start-up ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the big strides made by four Lucknow-based government laboratories for the global reach of their Ayurveda-based drugs, an official said on Thursday.

Interacting with representatives of research institutions, startups, Ayurveda experts and policymakers at a two-day CSIR Startup Conclave held here, CM Adityanath praised the work of four Lucknow-based laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) — the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), and the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), said the official.

Together, these institutes have developed 13 major herbal drugs addressing lifestyle and chronic diseases, including BGR-34 for diabetes, Paclitaxel derived from the bark of Arjuna tree for blood cancer, and Picroliv for fatty liver and liver cell degeneration.

Among them, BGR-34 drew the optimum attention at the conclave as the formulation, jointly developed by NBRI and CIMAP, uses six herbs — Daruharidra, Giloy, Vijaysar, Gudmar, Manjistha, and Methi.

While already recognized for its ability to regulate blood sugar, the drug is also being positioned as a potential solution for long-term diabetes reversal, an area where global healthcare is now shifting focus.

“Worldwide, the narrative is moving beyond diabetes control to diabetes reversal,” said Dr. Sanchit Sharma, who looks after the commercial marketing the drug. “Formulations like BGR-34 represent the synergy of Ayurveda and modern science, and such models could become the foundation for a diabetes-free society in the years to come," added Dr. Sharma.

For policymakers and industry leaders, the conclave underlined the growing potential of India’s herbal medicine sector in both domestic and international markets.

During his visit to the conclave, Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said the initiative exemplifies the “lab to people” model of innovation.

He urged startups to leverage government-developed technologies and scale them to global markets where demand for natural and herbal remedies is surging. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited the exhibition alongside Dr. Singh, also encouraged researchers to accelerate the commercialization of herbal solutions.

--IANS

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