India stops UK company from patenting hair loss formula

India has succeeded in stalling UK-based company Pangaea Laboratories Limited's petition to patent a treatment for hair loss, a leading news daily reports. The treatment consisted of a particular combination of turmeric, pine bark and green tea. The petition by the company had been filed in February 2011. 

According to the report, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library told the European Patent Office that the particular treatment for hair loss had been used in India's traditional medical practices like Ayurveda and Unani . 

After the application was put up on the patent office's website on January 13, 2014, the council presented evidence supporting its claim. Following this, the application was reportedly withdrawn by Pangaea Laboratories.

Traditional Knowledge Digital Library has been instituted to preserve and protect knowledge of India's traditional medicinal practices. It is also working to preventing patenting of this traditional knowledge by multi-nationals. Just a few days ago, Colgate-Palmolive's move to patent a herbal mouthwash formula had also been stalled by the library.