Some HIV/AIDS advocacy groups are province on pharmaceutical company Novartis to drop its legal confront to the Indian government’s licence laws, saying that if the guests wins the case it could qualify access to antiretroviral drugs someone is concerned millions of people worldwide, South Africa’s Business Time reports. Novartis is challenging a apportion of India’s Patents Act that aims to restrict certain kinds of patents, according to Business Daylight. Novartis brought a domestic lawsuit against the Indian government after the countryside in January 2006 rejected the company’s attempt to patent a new version of its leukemia drug Gleevec on the essence that the drug is a new formulation of an existing drug (Musgrave, Topic Epoch, 1/25). According to the AP/International Herald Tribune, India’s palpable law, which went into effect in January 2005, allows patents as a remedy for products that are revitalized inventions developed after 1995, when India joined the Magic Work Organization, or for an updated upper that exhibits improved efficacy. Although some Indian drug companies and groups voice that Gleevec is a restored formulation of a drug developed to come 1995, Novartis says that it is an improved drug (Rabinowitz, AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). Decisions concerning patents on some newer HIV/AIDS drugs in India have not been announced (Business Daylight, 1/25). If Novartis wins the case, it could potentially display set upon a precedent to save other pharmaceutical companies seeking explicit extortion for drugs, including antiretrovirals, some HIV/AIDS advocates accept said (AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). Medecins San Frontieres International Council President Christophe Fournier last month said the organization relies on reduced-rate, standing drugs produced in India to provide treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. According to the rank, antiretrovirals produced in India are employed to provide treatment to more than 80% of the 80,000 people in more than 30 countries who receive treatment from the organization’s projects (Business Day, 1/25). A court in Chennai, India, heard arguments in the occurrence on Monday (AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). According to the New York Times, the court was asked to clarify regulations on patents respecting new versions of existing drugs whose genuine patents have expired. Novartis spokesperson John Gilardi said, “We are trying to collect clarity as to what guides India’s patent laws. … This is not up access to medicines. It is almost establishing whether India is growing to pace up and embrace the minimum oecumenical standards required to go to the protection of highbrow property.” Unni Karunakara, medical director of MSF’s campaign to broaden access to medicines, said, “Novartis is disquieting to shut down the pharmacy of the developing world.” A decision in the Novartis case is not expected until Feb. 15 (Gentleman, New York Times, 1/30).
Protests in India; Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of HIV/AIDS advocates on Monday protested in New Delhi, India, against the Novartis patent challenge, the AP/Herald Tribune reports. MSF, along with Oxfam International, has gathered about 250,000 signatures for a petition asking Novartis to drop the case (AP/International Herald Tribune, 1/29). Several HIV/AIDS advocacy groups in Washington, D.C., also protested on Monday, the AFP/France24 reports. David Bryden, communications director for Global AIDS Alliance, said that the advocates were attempting to deliver a golden miniature coffin to a Novartis office in the district but that they were turned away. The demonstrators chanted, “Patient rights, not patent rights” and, “Novartis greed kills people in need; Drop the case now,” AFP/France 24 reports. The protest symbolizes the “fatal consequence” of Novartis’ action for people who rely on India for generic drugs, Bryden said (AFP/France24, 1/29).
APM’s “Marketplace” on Monday reported on the protests. The segment includes comments from Bryan Liang — a professor at the California Western School of Law who advises pharmaceutical companies on competition, pricing and access — and Chan Park, a patient advocate with the Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit (Levitt, “Marketplace,” APM, 1/29). Audio of the segment is available online.
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View drug information on Gleevec.