Thursday, October 21, 2010

Indian Ayurvedic Body Slams Colgate for Patenting Lal Dant Manjan

Lal dant manjan may make many Indians remember the old Dabur commercial featuring a schoolboy named Raju and his Masterji. But lal dant manjan, or ‘red herbal dentifrice’, is now patented in the US by Colgate Palmolive, and Indian ayurvedic companies have sought government intervention to cancel it.

The Association of Manufacturers of Ayurvedic Medicines (Amam), which represents 200 companies including Dabur, Himalaya , Hamdard and Baidyanath, has accused the American personal care giant of patenting an Indian traditional knowledge in the US, India and elsewhere.

It has urged the patent authority, the health ministry as well as the industrial ministry to take immediate measures to stop patenting of this traditional product and “initiate action not only in the US but also in other countries where Colgate Palmolive might have applied for the patent”.

Colgate received patent for red herbal dentifrice in the United States in June this year on the basis of an application dated 2005, filed in India.


Full report in
Economic Times

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