New Delhi, March 24 India launched a groundbreaking global clinical study on Tuesday to scientifically evaluate traditional Ayurveda as a complementary treatment for modern tuberculosis (TB).
The study will enroll 1,250 newly diagnosed TB patients across eight institutions, focusing on body weight, nutritional outcomes, disease progression, quality of life, safety, and tolerability.
Speaking at the launch of the study, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, "Even after successful treatment, many TB patients continue to experience weakness, weight loss, and a compromised quality of life, highlighting the need for supportive and host-directed therapies."
He said India's rich heritage of Ayurveda offers unique opportunities for such interventions, particularly in improving nutrition, immunity, and overall recovery.
The minister also highlighted that India, which accounts for nearly 25 per cent of the global TB burden, has registered a significant decline in incidence to around 187 cases per one lakh population in 2024, reflecting a 21 per cent reduction since 2015.
He said, "India has adopted an ambitious and accelerated pathway towards TB elimination, strengthening early diagnosis, universal drug susceptibility testing, digital adherence technologies, and patient-centric care under the National TB Elimination Programme."
The initiative has been developed under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the Department of Biotechnology on May 25, 2022, and has progressed through consultations, protocol finalisation, and approvals.