Spirit Behind Drug Patent Grant: Secondary Patents: Impact on Drug Access

For more effective treatment against existing diseases, besides combating new or a more complicated form of existing ailments with precision, drug innovation is absolutely necessary and on an ongoing basis. This makes innovative drugs so important for the population, globally. … Continue reading

Utility Model: Would It Work In India For Pharma?

The revised draft of India’s IPR Policy penned by the Government constituted ‘Think-Tank’ in 2014, suggests enactment of new laws, such as for ‘Utility Models’ and Trade Secrets, to fill some gaps in the country’s IPR ecosystem . However, media reports … Continue reading

The Curious Imbroglio: Innovation, IPR, India and ‘Uncle Sam’

Last week, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the “2015 Special 301 Report”, which is its annual review of the global state of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection and enforcement. While looking through the Kaleidoscope of … Continue reading

‘Patent Linkage’: Can The Core Issue Be Resolved?

On February 10, 2015, a leading business daily of India, quoted the Commerce Secretary of India – Rajeev Kher, saying, “India needs to relook at its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy with a view to bring in a differentiated regime … Continue reading

Gilead: Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Place In India

I had mentioned in my blog post of August 4, 2014, titled “Hepatitis C: A Silent, Deadly Disease: Treatment beyond reach of Most Indians” that in line with Gilead’s past approach to its HIV medicines, the company would offer to … Continue reading

Playing Hardball, Riding the Horse of ‘Innovation’

Media reports are now abuzz with various stories related to intense pressure being created by Big Pharma on the United States Government to declare India as a ‘Priority Foreign Country’ for initiating ‘Trade Sanctions’. As we know, ‘Priority Foreign Country’ … Continue reading

The ‘TINA Factor’: A Hotspot for Patented Drugs

An article published in a global business magazine on December 5, 2013 mentioned that Marijn Dekkers, the CEO of Bayer AG reportedly has said at the Financial Times Global Pharmaceutical & Biotech Conference held this month that: “Bayer didn’t develop its cancer drug, Nexavar (sorafenib) for … Continue reading

Does the Landmark Glivec Judgment Discourage Innovation in India?

No, I do not think so. The 112 pages well articulated judgment of the Supreme Court of India delivered on April 1, 2013, does not even remotely discourage innovation in India, including much talked about ‘incremental innovation’. This landmark judgment … Continue reading