Pharmacoeconomic Evaluation of Ayurvedic Therapies

Abstract

Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of Ayurvedic therapies is a surprisingly young literature given how long Ayurveda itself has been in clinical use. Cost-effectiveness questions have been part of the integrative-medicine conversation for years, but formal economic evaluation against the standards used in conventional health technology assessment has only gained traction relatively recently. In this paper we consolidated 52 peer-reviewed pharmacoeconomic studies of Ayurvedic therapies published between 2012 and 2024, across chronic-disease and integrative-care settings. Studies were grouped into five methodological frames: E1 (cost-effectiveness analysis), E2 (cost-utility analysis), E3 (cost-benefit analysis), E4 (budget impact analysis), and E5 (comparative cost-minimisation). Each frame was scored on the Ayurvedic Pharmacoeconomic Validation Index (APVI), a weighted composite across methodological rigour, outcome measurement quality, cost data completeness, generalisability, and policy relevance. Cost-effectiveness analysis (E1) and cost-utility analysis (E2) came out on top with APVI values of 0.852 and 0.824, driven by stronger methodological alignment with standard HTA practice. Budget impact analyses (E4) scored well on policy relevance but less well on outcome-measurement standards. Our reading is that Ayurvedic pharmacoeconomics is methodologically ready for formal HTA inclusion in conditions where the clinical-effectiveness evidence base is already adequate.