How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies?

India's rich traditional medicinal knowledge — Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Yoga — has faced 'biopiracy', where foreign firms sought patents on well-known remedies. To protect this heritage, the government has built documentation, legal and institutional safeguards.

Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)

• Created in 2001 by the CSIR and the Ministry of AYUSH, the TKDL digitally documents traditional medicinal knowledge from ancient texts in multiple languages and a patent-office-compatible format.
• Access is shared with major patent offices (such as the European and US offices) so examiners can cite it as 'prior art' and reject wrongful patent claims.

Legal and institutional protection

• The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 regulates access to biological resources and associated knowledge and mandates benefit-sharing.
• The Patents Act bars patenting of traditional knowledge and mere discoveries.
• Geographical Indication tags protect region-specific products.

Outcomes

Using documented prior art, India secured revocation of wrongful patents on turmeric wound-healing and neem-based fungicide, and challenged the basmati claim. This model demonstrates how documentation, law and international cooperation together defend traditional knowledge from misappropriation, while the government now also allows controlled TKDL access for research and innovation.