MANILA, Philippines - Time was when a simple home remedy for the common cough was an herbal tea produced by boiling freshly-picked lagundi leaves. The practice has come a long way since then. Today, plant-based medicine, called phytomedicine, goes beyond just boiling leaves.
“There is science to it,” says Ricky A. Rivera, president of Pascual Consumer Healthcare Corp. “It is highly technical, standardized, state-of-the-art.” Phytomedicine applies scientific research and professional standards to the practice of herbal medicine.
Years of intensive study and research showed the efficacy of lagundi as a natural remedy for cough and asthma. Technology transfer from the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and the National Integrated Research Program of Medicinal Plants made it possible for Pascual Laboratories to manufacture quality medicine from organic lagundi leaves.
In 1996, PascualLab introduced the country’s first herbal medicine, Ascof Lagundi. It was the first herbal medicine licensed by the DoST and the Philippine Council for Health and Research Development. It is currently the most successful phytomedicine in the country.
PascualLab is the only local pharmaceutical company in the country today with an advanced herbal research facility that is tasked to study and develop technology for phytomedicines. Its Herbal R & D and Product & Process Development team collaborates with independent medical and research consultants and institutions both here and abroad to continuously improve its products.
It all starts from the cultivation and harvesting of all-natural lagundi plants in their very own certified-organic farm in Nueva Ecija. “The quality of natural medicine is only as good as its source,” says Dr. Gani Padolina, PascualLab director for research and development. The organically grown plants are free from chemical pesticides. Stringent measures and procedures are also taken in the storage of the raw materials and all through the manufacturing process.
PascualLab is the only one that has the Ultra Rapid Micro Analyzer for microbial testing. “We have zero tolerance for harmful bacteria and pathogens,” says Dr. Padolina. “With our technology edge in microtesting, it now also takes our company only a few days to determine the microbial limit or biological purity of Ascof.” Each batch is tested to make sure it complies with the standards for heavy metals, foreign matter and microbes, as indicated in the stringent guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of Health (DOH).
PascualLab’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility sits on a sprawling five-hectare lot at Km 31 on MacArthur Highway in Balagtas, Bulacan. The different buildings are connected by closed corridors and long sterile hallways with automatic locking doors to avoid cross contamination. Half a hectare is occupied by its humongous, temperature-controlled warehouse equipped with the latest German technology for storing, moving, and releasing materials and finished goods.
“We have moved beyond the basic process of lagundi medicine production, which we acquired through technology transfer from DoST some 16 years ago,” Dr. Padolina says. The vessels used today, which are manufactured in China, are Filipino-designed, with patented technology. “With our second-generation technology, our production process is more efficient and more standardized, ensuring that Ascof’s phytoactive contents are consistent in every batch that is produced. It is more integrated and automated. This means that there is no direct human contact or intervention with the product, to avoid any contamination,” Dr. Padolina explains.
It is a closed system, computer-controlled, from the efficient and high-volume extraction of liquid from the leaves, to piping into mixing and impounding tanks, to bottling and packaging; from the production stage all the way to consumption. About 20,000 bottles are produced, or 60,000 for three shifts daily, says engineer JP Porte, director for plant operations. The whole process, from start to finish including testing, takes from six to 12 hours.
PascualLab is now set to roll out its third-generation technology, after the ongoing validation process which is expected to be completed by the middle of this year. “The new machine will have three times increased capacity and will reduce the process by half the time, from six to three hours,” Porte says.
“This transition to an even more advanced technology will revolutionize production, increase output by at least three times and, more importantly, will put in place more rigid quality control measures to further guarantee the high quality and consistency of Ascof,” Dr. Padolina notes.
An anti-asthma and cough remedy, Ascof Lagundi is a phytomedicine that has therapeutic claim. It is the top-selling brand in the fast-growing herbal segment (about five-percent annual growth) which represents about 10 percent of the total OTC market.
“Everything has been provided by God in nature,” Rivera remarks, referring to the wealth of natural remedies for common ailments. “We just need to find it and process it.”
PascualLab takes the leadership position in building the country’s herbal industry.