An additional search for neem-related patents through the US patent database, carried out in late December, 1995, revealed the existence of two more patents. Both were obtained by US corporations: patent no 5411736, dated May 2, 1995, held by W R Grace and Co, called Hydrophobic extracted neem oil -a novel insecticide -which is substantially free of azadirachtin; and patent no 5420318, dated May 30, 1995, held by Rohm and Haas Co, called Preparation of high purity neem seed extracts.

The Rohm and Haas patent describes an invention similar to that mentioned in the European patent no 0581469, dated February 2, '1994. Thus, there exists now a total of 37 new patented inventions emerging from neem, of which 23 have been obtained by US corporations alone -a whopping two-thirds of all such patents. And this may not yet be the whole story.