Since over a decade, some pharma trade organizations operating in India, have been advocating for a separate regulatory policy for ‘Over The Counter (OTC)’ drugs, which can be legally sold without any medical prescriptions. Such a new policy initiative, if taken by … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Trade
Pharma Policy Execution Gap Limits Access To Affordable Medicines?
“The cost of new drugs is putting increasing pressure on people in both rich and poor countries”- was eloquently expressed in an article, titled “Why do new medicines cost so much, and what can we do about it?”. This was … Continue reading
Do Consumers Perceive Pharma Industry Innovative?
One of the world’s richest and most powerful American pharma associations, having an equally strong indirect global presence, apparently, expects all concerned to give an emphatic affirmative answer to the above question. Vindication of this thought gets reflected in the … Continue reading
‘Indian Drug Control World’s Weakest: Pharma Trade Bodies Working At Cross Purposes’
“In the entire world, I think our drug control system probably is the weakest today. It needs to be strengthened,” said the Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) – V K Subburaj at an event in New-Delhi on April … Continue reading
Voluntary Practice Alone of Pharma Marketing Code, Has Never Worked…Anywhere
Since the last three and a half decades, ‘Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices’, prepared by various global pharma trade associations and most of the large global pharma companies individually, have come into existence for strictest voluntary adherence. These are being relentlessly … 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
TPP: Discord Within A Strange Mélange And Impact On Access To Medicines
On May 19, 2015, Bloomberg reported that a sizable number of President Barack Obama’s own party colleagues, besides teachers, seniors, Internet freedom groups and nuns, have joined the push to defeat the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) treaty. Before I delve into the TPP, … 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