PACT (PROTOCOLS FOR AYURVEDIC CLINICAL TRIALS)
PACT (Protocols for Ayurvedic Clinical Trials) is an attempt to define the scope of controlled clinical trials in the field of Ayurveda and to develop suitable protocols for evaluating whole system clinical interventions in Ayurveda.
AVTAR has been engaged in clinical research activities with a focus on studying and evaluating Ayurveda in the way it is practiced in India. The emphasis is on the whole Ayurveda intervention rather than a single drug, formulation or therapy.
In 2003, The Ayurvedic Trust received the first ever grant from National Institutes of Health, USA to scientifically evaluate Ayurveda outside the United States. This project was implemented by the AVTAR research team. Scientists from the University of Washington, Seattle and the University of California, Los Angeles guided this study and the entire research project was spearheaded by Dr. Daniel Furst, Carl Pearson Professor of Rheumatology and Master of American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Manorama Venkatraman from University of Washington, Seattle also played a pivotal role in this study. The major outcome of the study was the development of a comprehensive research protocol to scientifically evaluate the multimodal whole system interventions in Ayurveda. Amongst the highlights of this protocol is the development of suitable placebos for classical Ayurvedic medicines, the study design which allows Ayurvedic practitioners to customize their treatment according to the needs of individual patients and also to modify them in the course of the clinical trial. It is hoped that this clinical trial design will serve as a template to develop clinical studies in Ayurveda that will meet the rigor of science and preserve the holism of Ayurveda as well.
AVTAR is also working on development of other tools and instruments that will help in conduct of well designed clinical trials to scientifically evaluate various modalities of clinical interventions in Ayurveda. These include treatment algorithms, diagnostic criteria for Ayurvedic disease terminologies and concepts, tools for evaluation of treatment outcomes and the like.
