India foils UK company's bid to patent Ayurvedic hair loss treatment - The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has stopped UK-based dermaceutical company Pangaea Laboratories Ltd from claiming a patent for an Ayurvedic hair loss treatment, as per a statement from the ministry of science and technology on Sunday.

The patent on a medicinal composition consisting of turmeric, pine bark and green tea for treating hair loss was protected by Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a unit of CSIR.

TKDL traced the patent application submitted by Pangaea Laboratories at the European Patent office, and registered a pre-grant opposition along with art proof that the treatment had been used in Indian systems of medicines like Ayurveda and Unani.

Pangaea had submitted the patent application at the European Patent office in February 2011 that was published on the website. In 2014, TKDL filed evidence material of use of the products in traditional Indian medicine. On 29 June, the UK-based company withdrew the application.

Recently, TKDL also intervened to prevent Colgate-Palmolive Co. from patenting a mouthwash formula having herb extract used in Indian traditional systems of medicine to cure oral diseases, at the European Patent office.

The library gave references from ancient books maintaining that the herb and its extracts of Myristica Fragrans were traditionally used for oral diseases in Indian systems of medicine.