India through an Access Agreement with the European Patent Office, has established a mechanism to protect India's traditional medicinal knowledge from bio-piracy.
The maiden Indian effort in creating 'Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database would now be available to the Patent Examiners at European Patent Office (EPO having 34 member states) for establishing prior art, in case of patent applications based on Indian systems of medicine.
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi while giving the details of the agreement said that India is committed to mainstream Ayush and NRHM has seen co-locations of Ayush facilities at all levels.
This first such agreement would provide cover against infringement of country's rich traditional medicinal heritage having huge economic potential, of the kind that was witnessed during the last decade, including grant of wrong patents on wound healing properties of turmeric (1995) at the United States Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) and on anti-fungal properties of Neem granted at European Patent Office (EPO).
The maiden Indian effort in creating 'Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database would now be available to the Patent Examiners at European Patent Office (EPO having 34 member states) for establishing prior art, in case of patent applications based on Indian systems of medicine.
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi while giving the details of the agreement said that India is committed to mainstream Ayush and NRHM has seen co-locations of Ayush facilities at all levels.
This first such agreement would provide cover against infringement of country's rich traditional medicinal heritage having huge economic potential, of the kind that was witnessed during the last decade, including grant of wrong patents on wound healing properties of turmeric (1995) at the United States Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) and on anti-fungal properties of Neem granted at European Patent Office (EPO).
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