New Delhi, Apr 1 (ANI):In what could be termed a victory for those lobbying for less expensive foreign-manufactured drugs in India, and probably in other parts of the world, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG’s plea for getting its blood cancer drug Glivec patented in India.
While rejecting the Swiss pharma giant’s claims, the apex court said patents would be granted only for genuine inventions.
The landmark court ruling has broad consequences for the ability of global drugmakers, to sell lucrative patented medicines in the country.
Novartis has been fighting since 2006 to win a patent for Glivec, which many oncologists view as a major advance in treating chronic myeloid leukemia, which kills 80-90 percent of sufferers, and some gastrointestinal cancers.
Novartis approached the apex court challenging the order of Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), which rejected its appeal against patent department’s decision on Glivec.
The Controller General of Patent and Design had denied patent to Glivec on several grounds including its alleged failure to meet stipulations under sections 3(d) and 3(b) of the Indian Patent Law.
Some Indian pharmaceutical companies and social organisations had also approached the apex court against Novartis claiming that the multinational company is making an attempt to evergreen its patent right.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/sc-rejects-novartis-patent-plea/
