After six years of legal battle, the Indian Supreme Court has rejected the application of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry for the patent of an anti-cancer drug. The judges ruled that the local industry has the right to produce the drug Glivec as a generic drug to safeguard the population's right to health
Of Newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano | 1 April 2013
Six years of legal battle between the pharmaceutical giant Novartis and theIndia, but already as happened with Roche And Bayer the supreme judges have put their hand on their conscience by blaming “Big Pharma”. The Indian Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry relating to the patent of an anti-cancer drug. According to Cnn Ibn TV, the judges ruled that the local industry has the right to produce the medicine Glivec as a generic drug low cost to safeguard the Right to health of the population. The sentence comes after years of stamped papers and recriminations hired by the Swiss giant to obtain compliance with intellectual property laws. As motivation, the Supreme Court argued that Glivec "is not an innovative product" because it uses an already known molecule and therefore does not fall within the criteria established for "inventions". Indian human rights defense associations are rejoicing because it is a confirmation of India as the world's "pharmacy for the poor".
Just under a month ago, on March 5, India rejected another appeal; that of the pharmaceutical company Bayer again against a low-cost version of an anti-cancer drug. The German industri had turned to the Intellectual Property Appeals Commission (IPAB) to request theannulment of the decision to grant the Indian Natco Pharma a patent to produce the low-cost Nexavarused to treat liver cancer
