Herbal drug patenting in India: IP potential

Ethnopharmacological Relevence

Herbal drugs are gaining worldwide prominence due to their distinct advantages. Developing countries have started exploring the ethnopharmacological approach of drug discovery and have begun to file patents on herbal drugs. The expansion of R&D in Indian herbal research organizations and presence of manufacturing units at non-Indian sites is an indication of the capability to develop new products and processes. The present study attempts to identify innovations in the Indian herbal drug sector by analyzing the patenting trends in India, US and EU.

Methodology

Based on key word and IPC based search at the IPO, USPTO, Esp@cenet and WIPO databases, patent applications and grant in herbal drugs by Indian applicants/assignees was collected for the last ten years (from 1st January 2001 to 31st October 2010). From this collection patents related to human therapeutic use only were selected. Analysis was performed to identify filing trends, major applicants/assignees, disease area and major plant species used for various treatments.

Result

There is a gradual increase in patent filing through the years. In India, individual inventors have maximum applications and grants. CSIR, among research organizations and Hindustan Unilever, Avesthagen, Piramal Life Science, Sahajanand Biotech and Indus Biotech among the companies have the maximum granted patents in India, US and EU respectively. Diabetes, cancer and inflammatory disorders are the major areas for patenting in India and abroad. Recent patents are on new herbal formulations for treatment of AIDS, hepatitis, skin disorders and gastrointestinal disorders.

Conclusion

A majority of the herbal patents applications and grants in India are with individual inventors. Claim analysis indicates that these patents include novel multi-herb compositions with synergistic action. Indian research organizations are more active than companies in filing for patents. CSIR has maximum numbers of applications not only in India but also in the US and EU. Patents by research organizations and herbal companies are on development of new processes for active compound isolation and standardization of such components in addition to new compositions for therapeutic use. Pharmaceutical companies such as Ranbaxy, Lupin and Panacea Biotec are increasingly patenting on herbal drugs. There is increased patenting activity related to diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, asthma and arthritis in India and abroad.     

我国中医药商业秘密保护现状及存在问题

商业秘密是中医药知识产权保护的有效方式之一。本文分析了目前我国中医药商业秘密保护的现状,对于其面临的主体界定模糊、保护意识淡薄、侵权认定困难等问题,提出了建立完善的保密制度、完善相关法律法规、加强侵犯商业秘密案件的司法审判等措施,试图寻求中医药商业秘密保护的方法和途径。     

Elevated C-reactive protein and posttraumatic stress pathology among survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks

BackgroundSystemic inflammation has emerged as a promising marker and potential mechanism underlying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The relationship between posttraumatic stress pathology and systemic inflammation has not, however, been consistently replicated and is potentially confounded by comorbid illness or injury, common complications of trauma exposure.MethodsWe analyzed a large naturalistic cohort sharing a discrete physical and mental health trauma from the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers on September 11, 2001 (n = 641). We evaluated the relationship between multiple physical and mental health related indices collected through routine evaluations at the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC), a treatment program for community members exposed to the disaster. C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, was examined in relation to scores for PTSD, PTSD symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance, negative cognitions/mood, arousal), depression and anxiety, while controlling for WTC exposures, lower respiratory symptoms, age, sex, BMI and smoking as potential risks or confounders.ResultsCRP was positively associated with PTSD severity (p < 0.001), trending toward association with depression (p = 0.06), but not with anxiety (p = 0.27). CRP was positively associated with re-experiencing (p < 0.001) and avoidance (p < 0.05) symptom clusters, and trended toward associations with negative cognitions/mood (p = 0.06) and arousal (p = 0.08).ConclusionsIn this large study of the relationship between CRP and posttraumatic stress pathology, we demonstrated an association between systemic inflammation and stress pathology (PTSD; trending with depression), which remained after adjusting for potentially confounding variables. These results contribute to research findings suggesting a salient relationship between inflammation and posttraumatic stress pathology.     

东莞市鲜活农产品出口创汇的现状及其战略与对策

本文比较深入地分析了广东省东莞市鲜活农产品出口创汇的持续发展形势及面临的严峻挑战,从国际环境和自身条件,机遇和挑战的辨证关系上,论证了东莞市确立鲜活农产品以出口创汇为主的发展战略的必要性和可能性,提出了八项具体措施与对策,以实现扩展港澳市场,开拓东南亚和欧美等市场为目标。     

Printed paper and board food contact materials as a potential source of food contamination

Food contact materials (FCM) are estimated to be the largest source of food contamination. Apart from plastics, the most commonly used FCM are made of printed paper and board. Unlike their plastic counterparts, these are not covered by a specific European regulation. Several contamination issues have raised concerns towards potential adverse health effects caused by exposure to substances migrating from printed paper and board FCM. In the current study, an inventory combining the substances which may be used in printed paper and board FCM, was created. More than 6000 unique compounds were identified, the majority (77%) considered non-evaluated in terms of potential toxicity. Based on a preliminary study of their physicochemical properties, it is estimated that most of the non-evaluated single substances have the potential to migrate into the food and become bioavailable after oral intake. Almost all are included in the FACET tool, indicating that their use in primary food packaging has been confirmed by industry. Importantly, 19 substances are also present in one of the lists with substances of concern compiled by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). To ensure consumer safety, the actual use of these substances in printed paper and board FCM should be investigated urgently.     

“一带一路”背景下中俄中医药贸易发展思考

“一带一路”战略的提出确立了我国在新形势下对外开放的重要战略布局,是建立和加强与沿线各国互联互通、互利共赢的重要举措。本文对“一带一路”战略背景下我国中医药贸易的发展现状、俄罗斯中医药市场发展的历史与前景进行分析,提出促进中医药服务特色多元化、设置中医药国际标准、加强两国中医药文化交流、加大中医药在俄罗斯的宣传力度等对策。     

Childhood maltreatment, 9/11 exposure,and latent dimensions of psychopathology: A test of stress sensitization

On September 11, 2001, a terrorist attack occurred in the U.S. (9/11). Research on 9/11 and psychiatric outcomes has focused on individual disorders rather than the broader internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) domains of psychopathology, leaving unknown whether direct and indirect 9/11 exposure differentially impacted these domains rather than individual disorders. Further, whether such effects were exacerbated by earlier childhood maltreatment (i.e. stress sensitization) is unknown. 18,713 participants from a U.S. national sample with no history of psychiatric disorders prior to 9/11 were assessed using a structured in-person interview. Structural equation modeling conducted in a sample who endorsed no psychiatric history prior to 9/11, indicated that indirect exposure to 9/11 (i.e. media, friends/family) was related to both EXT (alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis dependence, and antisocial personality disorder) and INT (major depression, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) dimensions of psychopathology (EXT: β = 0.10, p < 0.001; INT: β = 0.11, p < 0.001) whereas direct exposure was associated with the INT dimension only (β = 0.11, p < 0.001). For individuals who had experienced childhood maltreatment, the risk for EXT and INT dimensions associated with 9/11 was exacerbated (Interactions: β = 0.06, p < 0.01; β = 0.07, p < 0.001, respectively). These findings indicate that 9/11 impacted latent liability to broad domains of psychopathology in the US general population rather than specific disorders with the exception of PTSD, which had independent effects beyond INT (as indicated by a significant (p < 0.05) improvement in modification indices). Findings also indicated that childhood maltreatment increases the risk associated with adult trauma exposure, providing further evidence for the concept of stress sensitization.