Research & Innovation

Creator of Pakistan’s First WHO-Prequalified Herbal Formulation Building on his neem research, Dr. Naim Anwar Muzaffar created a breakthrough antimicrobial cream in 1982 that became Pakistan’s inaugural WHO-prequalified herbal product. Manufactured at Bosch Pharma Lahore, the formulation showed 89% efficacy against tropical skin infections during Sindh flood relief operations. Its success spurred the 1985 Herbal Drugs Act, establishing quality control protocols still used today. By 2000, 17 Pakistani herbal products achieved WHO prequalification, generating $47M in annual exports.

Visionary Behind WHO-Funded Herbal Medicine Research Global Validation: Securing WHO Herbal Research Funding (1975) While Western pharma dismissed indigenous knowledge, Dr. Muzaffar saw Pakistan’s botanical heritage as untapped gold. His relentless advocacy won WHO Project PAK/HEP/002 – Pakistan’s first international research grant for herbal medicine, validating centuries of South Asian healing wisdom through modern science. The Research That Rewrote Rules Methodology Revolution Documented 137 anti-diabetic plants using WHO’s GACP guidelines Created first standardized extracts of Gurmar (Gymnema sylvestre) and Karela (Momordica charantia) Partnered with 42 hakims (traditional healers) for ethnobotanical validation  Transformative Outcomes Discovery Application Neem-based Antimicrobial Became basis for Pakistan’s first WHO-prequalified herbal formulation (1982) Cost-Effective Insulin Adjuvant Reduced diabetes treatment costs by 63% for rural patients Digital Herbarium Preserved 2,300+ specimens now accessible via PU’s online archive