OREANDA-NEWS. August 10, 2009. Over 200 kinds of medicinal agents are produced in Turkmenistan today. Medicamental supply is an essential component of the national health care system that has entered a new stage based on scientific analysis and fundamental research, reported the Official website turkmenistan.gov.tm.

That is proved by the publication of the first volume of the new ten-volume scientific work created by President of Turkmenistan, Doctor of Medicine Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov – the Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan. The new book – the encyclopedia of the plant species of Turkmenistan immediately attracted attention of the specialists as well as wide readership. To know medicinal plants and how to use them is very helpful for everyone. Furthermore, from the first years of independence development of pharmaceutical industry in Turkmenistan is oriented to production of medicinal agents from local resources.

The Government takes strict control of the issues of medicamental supply and creates incentives to develop medical industry, in particular pharmaceutical industry. All this is under the authority of the Turkmendermansenagat State Research and Production Association of Turkmenistan that was established in 1990. The Association is responsible for fostering research activity and developing new medicinal preparations from domestic resources, manufacturing and inventorying herbal and animal crude drugs at the pharmaceutical enterprises, broadening the range of medicaments and expanding medicine production.

The Turkmendermansenagat Association affiliates Saglyk pharmaceutical enterprise, Buyan agro-industrial complex, Turkmenderman Ajanta Farma Ltd joint venture, Tenekar pharmaceutical enterprise. The specialists of the National Pharmaceutical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, whose activities are aimed at undertaking complex scientific research on the study and efficient use of natural medicinal resources, designing the scientific and technical decisions to develop and introduce medicinal preparations in pharmaceutical production and healthcare practice profoundly contribute to development of pharmaceutical industry in the country.

The chemist’s shops in Turkmenistan offer a broad range of medicinal agents that are produced by the national pharmaceutical industry in compliance with the international quality and safety requirements. They successfully compete with the imported analogues. Of them 30 kinds are local herbs, roots and fruits of healing plants and medicinal herbal teas. Chamomile, mint, licorice, plantain, marshmallow, camel’s-thorn, tutsan, milfoil, dyer’s-madder, calendula, fennel, senna, sophora, dog rose, melissa, thyme is not a complete list of the medicinal plants that can be bought in the chemist’s shops. Various medicinal herbal teas and mixtures such as diaphoretic and digestion teas, Saglyk tea are very popular in recent years. The results of the complex research are dried licorice extract, licorice capsules, marshmallow syrup, tutsan and sophora fruits tincture, powder produced from bentonite extracted in the Oglanli field.

A majority of the above said medicinal products are manufactured at one of the oldest and leading enterprises in the country – Saglyk pharmaceutical enterprise. The enterprise produces about 90 kinds of medicaments. The local specialists carry out research on the use of local crude drugs of plant, animal and mineral origins. The workshop for packing medicinal herbs was opened there in 1995. The enterprise has the central laboratory.

In 1998 the research and production department was opened there to develop new medicinal preparations from local crude drugs. Moreover, the enterprise manufactures a wide variety of herbal teas. The workshop producing mustard plasters were put into operation in collaboration with the Ukrainian specialists in 2003. The workshop for filling medicinal solutions in glass containers was put into operation in collaboration with the Chinese partners in 2006. The domestic products used at the enterprises are crystalline iodine, ground sulphur, snake venom, medicinal herbs, cotton, etc. Lebetina viper and cobra venom is extracted in the serpentarium affiliated with the Association and located in Balkan Province. Keeping snakes and extracting venom is placed on the scientific basis. Venom is an ingredient of Viprosal ointment widely applied to cure of joint pain and rheumatism.

The most famous pharmaceutical trademark in Turkmenistan is Buyan. Liquorice root has been extracted on the banks of the Amu Darya River for a hundred years. Today the agro-industrial complex cultivates 9 varieties of medicinal herbs, extracts liquorice root and produces liquorice extract.

The process of manufacturing chipped liquorice was developed in partnership with the South Korean specialists. A plant affiliated with Buyan agro-industrial complex was put into operation in collaboration with Chinese Baoding Zhengying Import & Export Trading Co. Ltd to increase the volume of output of liquorice and liquorice products, to improve the quality of liquorice products and export it to world markets. The annual capacity of the plant is 100 tons of dried liquorice extract. The plant exports high-quality products (the content of glycyrrhizic acid is over 22% and humidity is 8%) across the world.

Tenekar pharmaceutical enterprise manufactures 5% standard infusion and isotonic solutions which are widely applied in current medical practice. 5% standard infusion is used in vascular and cardiac surgery and surgical operations on thyroid gland, stomach and to control bleeding. Metronidazole infusion solution is anti-inflammatory.

The specialists of Tenekar pharmaceutical enterprise carry out market research and study the demand and needs of the population and healthcare institutions in medicinal preparations the enterprise updates the range of products. Today it produces over 15 kinds of infusions that are distributed among the health care establishments and chemist’s shops in the country.

A wide range of medical products – about 90 kinds are produced at Turkmenderman Ajanta Farma Ltd – the Turkmen-Indian joint venture opened during the years of independence. To develop production of medicinal preparations from local crude drugs the specialists collaborate with the scientists of the Turkmen State Medical Institute and the National Pharmaceutical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. This cooperation resulted in developing production of Buyan capsules. The medical preparation contains 100g of dry liquorice extract and 25% of glycyrrhizic acid. Producing the slight diuretic and purgative effect it is applied to cure of acute, chronic and croupous bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema, fibrinous pneumonia, gastric and duodenal ulcer, gastritis, high gastric acidity, food poisoning (especially with mushrooms).

It should be noted that a majority of medicinal agents – antibiotics, analgesics, infusion solutions, agents which are applied to cure of the diseases of heart, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract produced at the enterprises affiliated with the Turkmendermansenagat Association can be bought at the 90% discount with the medical insurance policies. These include various pharmaceutical dosage forms – pills, capsules, solutions, ointments, powders, medicinal cotton, bandages and expensive snake venom. The enterprises steadily broaden the range of medical products.