The Impact of Patents in Ayurveda Influences Consumers in Kerala

Ayurvedic medicines are being popular day by day because these medicines used in the treatment of all kind of diseases. Now-a-days people give preference to the Ayurvedic medicines as most of the Allopathic medicines have side effects. Simultaneously manufactures are trying to take patents in various category products. In Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine, there is a belief that, through ayurvedic protocol any spurious substance can be changed into valuable medicines. Ayurveda is getting its due recognition as a rationale system of medicine worldwide despite the fact that medical and scientific fraternity of the globe has very strong opposite regarding safety and efficacy of Ayurvedic medicines. In the light of these references, all stakeholders of Ayurveda in general and scholars of Ayurveda (read therapeutics and pharmaceutics both) in particular must be acquainted with the basics of IPR, patent and its possible proposition in progress of traditional knowledge of Ayurveda with innovative approach. In the later part of the nineteenth century new inventions in the field of art, process, method or manner of manufacture, machinery, apparatuses and other substances, produced by manufactures were on the increase and the inventors became very much interested that the inventions done by them should not be infringed by anyone else by copying them or by adopting the methods used by them. The study based on 285 samples units of consumers, those who are using patent drugs in the state of Kerala. The results obtained show that consumers in society has a reasonable degree of awareness about various categories patented drugs