For a few days, news has been running through social networks that says Nestlé is trying to patent breast milk, having already obtained more than 2,000 patents of said fluid, in addition to other components of the human body.
Obviously, following this news, multiple criticisms have arisen, doubts about whether that can be done and questions about what would happen if it were true. Since Babies and more we have tried to contrast the news, looking for other sources that confirm it (without success), and we have also found a statement from Nestlé that informs us of the reality about it.
No sources to confirm the data
In the link to the news that says Nestlé is patenting breast milk components the source of the data is not observed. By doing an intensive search we have reached a lot of news in English and Spanish related, saying all the same or so, but always in blogs and forums, without reaching any medium that seems to us completely reliable so that the data seems true to us.
In many of them there is talk of a patent, US 8012509 B2, as if they had patented human milk, but in it we read that what they are trying to do is patent the use of milk or milk fractions (and talk about breast milk, but also bovine milk and buffalo milk, understanding that before they would use those milks that the human) to treat diseases caused by the mediation of cyclooxygenase-2 or COX-2 (which is a type of enzyme whose mission is to produce substances called prostaglandins from arachidonic acid). Something like reducing the action of COX-2 with the use of dairy products to reduce the incidence of diseases that can cause excessive activity of this enzyme.
Come on, the news itself is very scary, but for now We have not been able to confirm the data provided.
And what does Nestlé say
Nestlé, which has already been asked about it, has issued a very brief statement in which it says that not trying to patent breast milk. Apparently, what he is doing is applying for a patent called a protein called Osteoprotegerin that can be found in breast milk but also in the milk of other animals. This protein has already obtained two patents in the United States and they want to use it to treat bone problems and regulate immune system responses. As a concise phrase and with the intention of resolving the issue, they ensure that "We have neither patented human breast milk, nor are we trying.".
