March 22: The patent given by the United States Patent Office in July 1996 for a pepper extract, alkaloid piperine, has sent alarm bells ringing in the pepper exporting community in Kerala with a Kochi-based exporting firm, Kamcor Flavours, being denied permission to export piperine to the US. The patent exists in the name of Sabinsa Corporation headed by an NRI, Muhammed Majeed.Sabinsa apparently satisfied the Patent Office that piperine alkaloid, extracted from black pepper or pepper nigrum (fam. Piperaceae), was effective for proper functioning of the digestive tract, "more specifically, the digestion and absorption (bioavailability) of food nutrients, and (when necessary) drugs." This is stated in a paper published in the journal Alternative Therapy (July 1996) by Muhammed Majeed, V Badmaev and R Passwater of Sabinsa Corporation.
Two more scientists were associated with the development of the extract, inlcuding Bangalore-based R Rajendran from Sami Chemicals and Extracts (P) Ltd, an associate companyof Sabinsa Corporation, New Jersey. Sabinsa Corporation has also received patents for two more ayurvedic extracts Curcumin-C3 Complex (based on turmeric) and Citrin-K during the last three years.
The `alkaloid peperine' is being marketed as Bioperin, while Citrin-K (an extract from Garcinia gambogia in the form of a compound formula containing 400 mg calcium salt of hydroxycitric acid) is used as an anti-obestic compound for weight reduction. Curcumin-C3 complex is used an an anti-oxidant and nutritional supplement. The paper also highlights the use of piper longum, or long pepper, traditionally known in Sanskrit as Pippali (fam. Piperaceae), which has been effective against bronchial asthma. "The long pepper contains a minimum of of one per cent alkaloid piperine.However, other yet to be identified components may be responsible for the therapeutic action in patients with asthma," the paper says.
Muhammed Majid, a pharmacy graduate from the University of Kerala who did his PhD in Industrial Pharmacyfrom St John's University, New York, established Sabinsa Corporation along with a few other scientists in the US.
In 1991, he started the Indian outfit, Sami Chemicals and Extracts (P) Ltd, a 100 percent export-oriented unit in Bangalore. The company exports fine chemicals, standardised extracts, nutra-ceuticals, speciality chbulk drug intermediates. "I am using the Bangalore unit as an R&D base for my US company," Majeed had told The Financial Express while attending the 49th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress held here in December. The turnover of Sami Chemicals has increased to Rs 32 crore in 1996-97 from Rs 78.06 lakh in 1992-93. The company has won an award for quality and innovation of basic drugs in 1995, and an outstanding export performance award in 1996 for the development of the export market for garcinia combogia in 1996 from the Union government. The paper presented at the Pharmaceutical Congress further says that the "alternative medicine movement in United States has gone mainstream withphytochemicals, nutra-ceuticals, antioxidants, bioprotectants and a host of other terminologies becoming household words... to the extent that health insurance companies have begun to cover alternative therapies." The paper also reports on various Tibetan medical formulations, a few of which were developed and tested by Sabinsa Corporation scientists. Enquiries with research institutions, including the Regional Research Laboratory in Kochi under CSIR, reveal that Kerala has not made much progress in patenting ayurveda drugs while the US and European companies have gone far ahead in this regard.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
