The 15th annual meeting of the WHO International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (WHO-IRCH) network was held during 16-20 April, 2024 in Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye.
On the first day, a meeting of the IRCH Steering Group was held to discuss and revise the terms of reference and the strategic work plan which had expired in 2023.
The next three days, 17-19 April, 16 WHO-IRCH members presented the status of herbal medicines regulation in their countries or regions. It was heartening to see the enthusiasm of members regarding regulating traditional & complementary medicine (T&CM) to augment the quality and safety of these interventions. The workshops on Safety & Quality of herbal medicines with six presentations; the Efficacy (intended use) of herbal medicines with seven presentations; and the International Herbal Pharmacopoeia with seven presentations offered an enriching experience to all. The discussion sessions flowed with exchange of information, concerns regarding the grey areas and consensus regarding the need of collective efforts for scientific validation of T&CM.
A dedicated session on SharePoint interface as the new information exchange platform for the WHO-IRCH members helped in familiarization of the participants with the platform and addressed their concerns. The session on the proposed ‘WHO Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) for evaluation of regulation of Traditional medicine (TM) products’ was well-received by the participants. It substantiated the interest of the regulatory authorities to contribute to the development of such a tool and implementation for the infrastructure upgradation as well as capacity building of the national regulatory authorities commensurate to the requirements of effective regulation of TM products.
The afternoon session on 19th April was graced by the Honourable First Lady of Türkiye. The presence of Her Excellency and her motivating address reinvigorated the participants to fortify their efforts and contribution in strengthening the traditional systems of medicine. A special session was organized by the host country, Türkiye on 20th April to provide insight into the history and expanse of the ‘Anatolian system of medicine’. An update was also provided on the upcoming draft WHO TM strategy 2025-2034.
The overall program, technical deliberations and discussion sessions not only contributed to the key recommendations but also highlighted the strengths of the stakeholders and identified the key areas requiring collective efforts for scientific validation of T&CM. The rejuvenated WHO-IRCH network is poised to substantially contribute to consensus-based promotion of safe and effective traditional medicine.