Novartis Drug Case: Indian Court Rejects Drug Maker’s Attempt To Patent New Version Of Cancer Medicine
Posted in: Today's ChiliNEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected drug maker Novartis AG’s attempt to patent a new version of a cancer drug in a landmark decision that healthcare activists say ensures poor patients around the world will get continued access to cheap versions of lifesaving medicines.
Novartis had argued that it needed a new patent to protect its investment in the cancer drug Glivec, while activists said the company was trying to use loopholes to make more money out of a drug whose patent had expired.
The decision has global implications since India’s $26 billion generic drug industry supplies much of the cheap medicine used in the developing world.