India foils UK co's bid to patent ayurvedic mix for hair loss

India has once again successfully foiled an attempt by a major European major dermaceutical company to take patent on a medicinal composition containing turmeric, pine bark and green tea for treating hair loss.
"India once again has been successful in protecting its traditional knowledge by preventing an attempt made by Europe's leading dermaceutical laboratory -- Pangaea Laboratories Limited, to take patent on a medicinal composition containing turmeric, pine bark and green tea for treating hair loss," an official statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a unit of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, located the patent application filed at European Patent Office by Pangaea Laboratories Limited and filed pre-grant opposition along with prior-art evidences from TKDL, proving that turmeric, pine bark and green tea, are being used as a treatment for hair loss, since long in Indian systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Unani.

The UK-based company had filed the patent application at European Patent Office in February, 2011. CSIR-TKDL Unit had filed evidences from TKDL on January 13, 2014 after the patent application got published on website, pursuant to which the patent application is finally deemed to be withdrawn by the applicant on June 29, 2015, the statement added.
Till date, CSIR-TKDL Unit has achieved success in about 200 such cases without any cost.