Welcome to a DocScopy section which will take us to an eventful professional journey of Dr. Ruchika Kalra, a Senior Formulator and Pharmacist.
Dr. Ruchika Kalra is currently the Head of the Department (HOD), Pharmacognosy, at Advanced Institute of Pharmacy, Palwal, Haryana. She joined this Institute in the year 2008. Dr. Ruchika Kalra became (Head of the Department) HOD on 1st January 2018. She completed her graduation at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MDU (Maharshi Dayanand University), Rohtak (Batch:1995-1999).
Let us see her inspiring journey from 1995 till date and her personal and professional growth through this candid conversation between Dr. Ruchika Kalra and MedBound Times (Parul Soni and Dr. Megha Rohilla).
Parul: Ma'am, Please Tell us about your professional journey and life!
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: It started in 1995 when I was basically preparing for MBBS. I could not qualify for that, so I thought about going for a paramedical course since it was new in India. Usually, girls would not go for this course but I found it very interesting and research-oriented. I enrolled in it and my curiosity increased. I completed my master's from Vinayaka Mission University (2003 to 2005) and completed my Ph.D. from K.R. Mangalam University, Haryana, India (2015 to 2020). Simultaneously I am also into some research projects as well, so I feel like it's a very good profession.
Parul: Ma'am, please tell us Pharmacology is an interesting field. If one wants to explore it, what do you study in it?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Pharmacology is a good course but you know it is so vast that it has so many directions and subjects. You study chemistry, formulations, and pharmacology.
Parul: Pharmacology is a broad subject! You can become a medical writer, a formulator, etc. Many careers can be chosen. What are you doing right now?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: I am an Associate professor and Head of the Department of Advanced Institute of Pharmacy. I am taking care of the administration. I have left teaching far behind, and research is my passion. Recently I have developed a herbal anti-dandruff-based preparation using some essential oils. It is still in progress, the activity part is left but the formulation is ready.
Parul: What is your specialization? What challenges do you face in research? How are products made from plants these days?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: For research, you need to have some funding, infrastructure, and support from management. My subject is Pharmacognosy ( the study of crude drugs obtained from medicinal plants, animals, fungi, and other natural sources) and it is all herbal-based. Its nature is vast. You pick a plant and prepare any product, but at the same time, you have so many choices since each plant has its own identity and beauty, its own chemical constituents. That is my field of interest.
Parul: So you are quite interested and fascinated about plant-based formulations, that is interesting! There is a huge range of natural products in the market. What is the difference between plant-based and synthetic products, which have chemicals like parabens in them?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Parabens are preservatives. Even in herbal products, we have to add it to increase the shelf life, or else they will degrade since plant-based products don't have a high shelf life. Other synthetic products like ketoconazole in anti-dandruff products, for instance, have long-term use, but it can be harmful since dandruff keeps recurring. In that case, herbal products are useful. For short-term treatments, you have no option. So, one can go for allopathic chemical treatment options. But all herbal products are safer and preferred by people. They have little to no side effects. Globally there is a huge demand for herbal products.
Parul: Ma'am, what is the difference between herbal products and ayurvedic products?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Most people confuse herbal formulations with ayurvedic products. Ayurvedic products are completely different formulations. The quantity of the drug in that has to be more, frequency has to be more and its dosage does not taste good. Herbal formulations on the other hand are a mixture of allopathy and ayurveda. One takes it as a herb but formulates it on the basis of chemicals. A tablet is developed with the help of a herb that is easier to swallow and is patient-friendly. This is the major difference.
Parul: Certain ayurvedic medications/products are pungent and it is very difficult to use. How is it user-friendly?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: The recent technology has now blended both the things. It has made the herbs patient-friendly, even topical preparations like shampoos and cosmetics. Cosmetics has a very wide range of herbs in the market.
Parul: Can you tell us about the challenges that you've encountered during this research?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: No, without activity the product cannot be out. It requires a lot of clinical research before it is out on the market. So, I will work on the mice first and then on human volunteers before launching the product in the market. There are many challenges! Yes, I have faced it all. To start with, what will be the suitable base for a particular herb, is the base compatible with the herb or not? All ingredients which we take might be compatible or they might not be, so this incompatibility is the biggest challenge I face. Every ingredient has its own specific conditions so blending them is difficult. Even the shelf life of the product is an issue. Environmental problems also contribute during the formulations. Then in the activity part, we work on the animal. The animal itself has to be nurtured. So doing the activity on the animal is also one of the basic problems.
Parul: Do you have any products on the market at this time that you have made?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: No, there isn't any product on the market yet. Actually, before releasing it in the market we have to work them on human volunteers, which is really expensive. We have to work on a large number of people and we also have to pay each volunteer so it requires a lot of funding. So it is not possible to put it on the market in such an early phase.
Parul: That is a big challenge. What is the protocol that needs to be followed?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Actually it is a healthcare product so we cannot take the risk without performing any activity. Even a small harm on anyone can be risky so we have to work with a lot of precision and caution.
Parul : That is a great responsibility! I had a doubt actually, that there are so many products available in the market, shampoo for example. Are these approved by dermatologists?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Actually it has gone through many phases. Basically without using them on humans, one cannot put it in the market. So these all are marketing strategies when it is said that it is approved by dermatologists. Just showing to them that the product cannot be introduced till there is some research data and animal and human activity.
Parul: Were there any disappointments in the process?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Yes, I have faced it from the funding department and agencies in India. There are lots of factors involved in funding the projects since they do not fund private colleges. There are a lot of difficulties. We have to work on a limited source of money.
Parul: What were the great achievements in your career?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Apart from being the Head of the Department, there are many things to do and many milestones to achieve.
Parul: You have become the Head of the Department and what message do you want to convey to the women?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: I have a message for all the women. Never take yourself for granted and never feel that you cannot do anything. You see, I got married at a very early age. I hardly did my B. Pharm before getting married. I did my masters when my kid was 3 years old. I did manage all the things. So women should not get tired and give up. Everything can be managed. You will get everything at the right time! Women should move on and not be afraid of anything.
Parul: Well, the highlight of the story is one step at a time! What message would you like to give to budding professionals?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: The education system is going downwards and I want to tell all budding pharmacists that please work hard and please be involved in your profession. You are a healthcare professional so, do not take your profession for granted. Being a pharmacist is a great responsibility. In today's scenario in India, a patient has the psychology of not going to the doctor, maybe just to save the consultancy fees or for other reasons. They would directly go to a pharmacy and tell them their problems. If the pharmacist is not well educated, then it can be a huge risk.
Parul: This really is a great concern! Recently the Indian Medical Association on Twitter notified everyone that antibiotics should not be taken just because one has a fever. Please shed some light on that.
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Antibiotics create resistance in your body. We have an immune system in our bodies. If you have a fever, let your immune system work on its own. No need to take antibiotics every time you get sick. It will kill the bacteria and eventually, your immune system will not work since your body did not put any effort to fight the bacteria. Let's say you took amoxicillin which killed the bacteria. Next time if you have an infection, the amoxicillin will not work. So, you'll need to take higher-intensity of antibiotics. What happens next is that you are taking high doses for just mild infections. This will make our body resistant to antibiotics and will harm the immune system. In India, even doctors prescribe the same for mild infections, which is not right! Although they are regulated and come under the schedule-H category, they cannot be given without a prescription. But the major concern is resistance to antibiotics.
Parul: What is your vision, what and how do you see yourself five years down the line?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: I would see myself as the Principal of a pharmacy college and definitely would be working on some research projects. I will try to approach funding agencies to fund very keen researchers and private colleges since healthcare needs more awareness and research and safer options for the population.
Parul: We would like to know a few things about you. What do you like to do in your free time?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: I like to listen to some music in my free time.
Parul: What was your memorable moment?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: My best moment was when my son was born.
Parul: If your life was a movie, What would you name it?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: It would be "Zindagi na milegi dobara"
Parul: What do you hate most?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: I actually hate all reptiles, especially Lizards!
Parul: What triggers you?
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Any kind of lie triggers me.
Parul: Thank you, Ma'am, for your time. It was a pleasure talking to you!
Dr. Ruchika Kalra: Thank you, Parul!
