09.01.09
The European Patent Office (EPO) has rejected parts of Novogen’s patent claims, which were originally granted in 2004 for the use of isoflavone phytoestrogen extracts as “treatment of pre-menstrual syndrome or symptoms associated with menopause.” The patent, EP #0656786, was originally submitted to the EPO for approval in 1993. Following objections submitted by 10 European groups and by Israel-based Solbar, the EPO restricted claims, wherein the isoflavone phytoestrogen extract comprises genistein and daidzein (aglycones) from soybeans, and biochanin A or formononetin in red clover, “in a ratio of about 1:2 to 2:1.”