The Big Red Biotech Blog

Novartis, A Gleevec Patent & India

In follow up to the previous post, the Pharmalot blog published an interview with Brook Baker, a professor in the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy at Northwestern University School of Law, and a member of Health Gap, Global Access Project. Dr. Baker explains sequence of events in the case and why advocates on both sides have latched onto it.

Novartis, A Gleevec Patent & India: Baker Explains // Pharmalot.

The Indian Supreme Court postponed its hearing this week. The case will establish patentability for changes to existing drugs, define "enhanced efficacy", set rules for evergreening and will likely have important implications to generic manufacturers and drug availability and pricing in India.

That's all.

Posted by Bruce Lehr Sep 7th 2011.

 

Novartis Patent Dispute In India Heats Up

Pharmagossip and Pharmalot below both provide coverage of an avidly watched patent case playing out before India's Supreme Court. Novartis is challenging an Indian patent office ruling that its new crystalline salt form of the cancer drug Gleevec is not patent eligible as it provides "little enhanced efficacy". 

Novartis Patent Dispute In India Heats Up // Pharmalot.

The case is important to the innovator Pharma industry, Generic producers, patient advocates and Indian health policy makers as it is effectively establishing the rules for "evergreening" by setting the standard for "enhanced efficacy". 

Novartis argues that by not granting a patent for this improvment, it (and other innovators) lose any incentive to create "new" drugs.  Patient advocates fear that allowing small changes to result in increased patent protection "up to 20 years", i.e. evergreening, will drive up medicines to unaffordable rates for the poor and gut the generics industry. Novartis' drug is a cancer drug but this same concept might be applied to AIDs medicines for example.

Thus, the case is heavily in the spotlight.  For the moment, we'll have to wait on the ruling as one of the Justices recused himself and the hearing schedule for this week was postponed.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr Sep 7th 2011.

India Biotech Grows 25%

Ernst & Young published its 25th annual report - Beyond borders: Global biotechnology report - 2011.  in it, E&Y cited India's biotech as hitting $4 B in 2010 compared to about $3 B in 2009.  Vaccines, diagnostics and devices and personalized medicine were seen as the innovative growth areas. But, while the overall industry grew, most of that growth came from large firms while small firms fell back and continued to struggle to get investor funding.

"The domestic biotech firms wil need to adapt creatively to this environment by doing more with the funding that is available [ed. Pull on those bootstraps!] and by working from the earliest stages of development to demonstrate the potential value of their products to investors, payers and regulators, " said Ajit Mahadevan E&Y partner.  See Fierce Biotech.

Sounds like some small guys will fail or be snapped up by the larger guys for a pittance as the industry goes through a shakeout of the weaker players.

Posted by Bruce Lehr Aug 30th 2011.

India Pharma Companies Stay In Play

According to The Economic Times via the Pharmalot blog, Takeda Pharmaceuticals is seekign to purchase an Indian pharma company and is considering both Cipla and Lupin.  Either company would give Takeda a beach head in the generics market in India, with Cipla as No. 2 in market and Lupin at No. 5.  According to McKinsey, the India pharma market will grow from today's $12 billion to more than $55 billion by 2020 making it one of the world's fastest growers.

Rumor has it that Lupin is asking $1.5 billion for its assets or 17 times sales.  Wow!  Good selling price if you can get extract it from the buyer. A Lupin spokesman however termed the rumor a "baseless market speculation."  Sounds like they are ready to sell any minute doesn't it?

This no doubt gives India regulators heartburn as they have already expressed concern that both Western and Japanese Big Pharma are buying up the domestic Indian companies.  The fear is that the acquirers will drive up prices on medicines for India's copious poor populations -- making many medicines unaffordable.  This is one reason that applications for compulsory licenses to Western drugs still under patent have also been rising.  This is one market dynamic to watch.

Posted by Bruce Lehr Aug 24th 2011.

Contract Manufacturing Will Explode for Pharma

In a new report, Visiongain says contract manufacturing in the pharma industry will hit $64 billion by 2016 and more than double in the next 10 years. The manufacturing of final dosage forms is expected to grow fastest (CAGR 8.7%) - though making APIs still constitutes more than 71% of the total market.

US companies currently enjoy a 42% masrket share of contract manufacturing business, but this is expected to change as India and China are increasingly, successfully competing in this segment. The Asia and Pacific region is expected to grow by 9.6% annually over the next 5 years compared to an overall market rate of 6.7%. 

While these emerging regions are expected to grow more rapidly in the next 5-10 years, analysts also expect that costs of labor and raw materials will rise over time dampening the rate of future growth.  Markets can be expected to level out to a greater degree as the industry establishes its global footprint. See Pharmalot.

Posted by Bruce Lehr Aug 23rd 2011.

 

India "Floodgates" Poised on Compulsory Licenses

The third Indian generic drug maker in the past year has filed for a compulsory license to make a patented drug in India.  This time it is Natco that wants to make Bayer's cancer therapeutic Nexavar.  Natco had approached Bayer for a license in December and was turned down.

Compulsory Licenses are controversial.  They come into play in developing countries that argue the cost of many life-saving medications for diseases like AIDs and cancers are way too expensive for most patients in these countries (e.g. India, Thailand, Brazil, S. Africa).  The generic producer says they can offer the medicines at a fraction of the cost if they had the license.  Of course they can as they did not pay any of the discovery and development costs for these medicines. Innovator (brand name) drug producers are, needless to say, very mus opposed to compulsory licenses and say their imposition will remove financial incentives to find these innovative medicines.  

The Natco case will be closely watched.  If it is granted a compulsory license, then many Indian generic producers may also be encouraged to apply as well openign the floodgates potentially in India.  That won't do much for the marketing of innovative drugs in India in my view, nor will it be much help to multi-nationals who may be seeking to develop more business in countries like India to help cover revenue losses they may be experiencing in other parts of their portfolios due to patent expirations.  So much perhaps for developing markets serving as new growth engines. See Pharmalot.

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr Aug 4th 2011.

 

India Moves To Cap Foreign Investment In Pharma

After months of similar saber rattling, an India advisory panel recommended that a 49 percent cap on direct foreign investment in its domestic drug companies be adopted. The move comes from fears that foreign investors will dominate the Indian market and make policies for affordable drugs for the Indian populace difficult if not impossible to achieve.

India Moves To Cap Foreign Investment In Pharma // Pharmalot.

Foreign investment in Indian companies like Ranbaxy, Matrix Laboratories, Dabur Pharma, Shanta Biotech, Piramal Healthcare, Paras Pharmaceuticals and Orchid Chemicals has raised foreign ownership of Indian companies to 15 percent of the market.

Unsurprisingly, big pharma, as represented by the Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers in India, issued a statement calling the proposal "retrograde".  "It will have a chilling effect on FDI (foreign direct investment) in the country.  FDI should not stand for funds deserting India."

 
Posted by Bruce Lehr July 6th 2011.

Biotech Emerging Markets: Perspectives from Brazil, India, Argentina, and South Africa

At BIO's Partnering for Global Healthcare Forum - panel representatives from the emerging markets of Brazil, India, Argentina and Sout Africa addressed trends in healthcare.

PharmTech Talk » Biotech and Emerging Markets: Perspectives from Brazil, India, Argentina, and South Africa.

They noted that goverment's in these regions all had a goal of getting more people into the healthcare system and providing "healthcare for all".  Targeted goverment investment is up in healthcare in areas like diangostics and biosimilars.

Aging populations and an evolving middle class are among demographic features driving some of this. Speakers from Argentia and South Amercia also talked about their countries as serving as potential regional gateways to other countries/markets in their regions. There is also an expectation that healthcare will shift from a focus of treating acute illness to one focused on chronic care and prevention - as ailments like diabetes, hypertension and cancer grow in developing nations.

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 29th 2011.  

 

R&D Spending In India Is Projected To Mushroom

A recent Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study has projected that R&D spending in India will increase from $2 B last year to more than $25 B by 2025.  Much of this increase will be attributed to Big Pharma in the West shifting work to India.  In BCG interviews with 40 Big Pharma Execs, 70% indicated they were happy with their alliances in India and 75% said they expect to increase activities.

R&D Spending In India Is Projected To Mushroom // Pharmalot.

The reasons behind this shift are not hard to fathom:

• Lower costs.  Trials currently run 60% less than in the US.
• Good pool of treatment-naive patients. India sites also recruit 4x faster.
• Growing pool of qualified researchers

Among drugmakers, Pfizer, GSK, Lilly and Novartis ran the most trials -- together accounting for about 1/3 the total in India.  I guess Lechleiter is Ok with farming out all clinical trials despite all whinging about immigration policy and working in the US.

The most cited impediments to doig even more work in India, include: lack of coordination with alliance partners, insufficient support from senior management [at partners], and differences in executing plans. Regulatory uncertainty and the intellectual property landscape are also viewed as somewhat unsettled. None of this seems to be slowing down current growth -- and you can likely expect that to be maintained until cost advantages start leveling out as compared to the West.

 

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 29th 2011.

 

Sanofi Inks Antibody Deal with India's Glenmark

Sanofi opened its checkbook again. This time in India as it inked a development deal with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals for therapeutic antibodies, and in particular to gain rights to a new MS therapy in development.

Sanofi will pay up to $663 million structured as $50 million in upfront payments and up to $613 million for reaching specified milestones. Sanofi will also have marketing rights to GBR 500, an antibody that combats inflammatory diseases like Crohn's disease and other autoimmune disorders.

"This is definitely significant because it's the first time an Indian company has developed the expertise to make biologic drugs" said Bino Pathiparampil, a pharma industry analyst.

Sanofi conitnues to expand its number of development deals external to the company and in emerging markets that it wishes to penetrate in the future.

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr May 17th 2011.

Merck has Sun in its Eyes in India

Reuters reports that Merck has its sights set on Sun Industries Ltd as a new marketing partner in India.  The deal between Sun and MSD Pharmaceuticals (Merck's Indian arm) could be a marketing joint venture or a co-marketing deal.

The deal would be just another example of a Western Big Pharma company linking up with a local Indian company to gain access to India's large and fast growing pharma market.  Earlier this year, Bayer struck a similar deal with Cadilla Healthcare. 

Deals between international drug competitors and Indian companies are becoming increasingly common as the pharma  industry becomes international and the so-called pharmerging markets (inlcuding India) offer greater growth opportunities now than many of the traditional makrets in US, Europe or Japan.  India pharma companies are also being acquired - Piramal by Abbott, Ranbaxy by Daiichi Sankyo, Shantha by Sanofi-Aventis, and Dabur by Fresnius Kabi among others. 

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr April 11th 2011.

 

Did Drugmakers Violate India’s Patent Laws?

According to Shamnad Basheer, professor of intellectual property law at the National University of Juridicial sciences in New Dehli, the answer is YES.

Did Drugmakers Violate India’s Patent Laws? // Pharmalot.

Dr. Basheer asserts that Bayer, Pfizer, Roche, Merck and BMS - when their disclosure filings (required by Indian law) were examined under a Right to Information request -- did not fully comply with the norms of such disclosure filings. Says Basheer, "This indicates that firms are not taking this disclosure requirement seriously."

Under Indian law, failure to comply with mandatory disclosure law can result in not only fines, but in granting compulsory licenses to generic competitors. Basheer says he is on a "transparency mission."

He expects to publish what his full findings uncovered soon.  Uh-oh!

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr April 7th 2011.

Eyeing India’s Pharma Industry

 

 

According to PharmTech Talk, multinationals are waiting in line to buy India's available drug companies.  Why not?  The India market will have annual pharmaceutical sales growth of 14-17% through 2014 according to IMS estimates -- domestic pharma sales in India are expected to more than double over the next five years.

PharmTech Talk » Eyeing India’s Pharma Industry.

Who are the potential buyers?  Thus far, price is the primary obstacle holding back suitors such as Teva, Merck KGa, Boerhinger Ingelheim, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Who's a possible target? There are several well-positioned Indian firms that have healthy cash flows and strong drug pipelines. Cipla, Glenmark, Torrent, Claris Lifesciences, Zydus, Strides, Aurobindo, and Dr. Reddy’s have already teamed up with Western pharma companies. For most, more than 50% of their revenue comes from overseas markets

Says Y.K. Hamied, chairman of Mumbai-headquartered Cipla. “It all depends on what is available. Buyers are willing to pay a handsome premium for available assets,” he says. Cipla grew nearly 15% between May 2009 and April 2010. So, is Cipla for sale? He guffaws. “Cipla is never going to be sold,” he asserts.

One must keep in mind that Ajay Piramal of Piramal Healthcare had a similar position before bailing out his generic-drug business to Abbott. The Piramal group is using part of Abbott’s $3.7-billion in proceeds to bring to market the country’s first domestically developed drug by 2012.   As for the other Indian-based firms, only time will tell how long they hold out before jumping to a multinational partnership or merger.

Posted by Bruce Lehr March 9th 2011.

 

Daiichi Forms R&D Hub in India

As reported in Rediff business, Daiichi has reorganized its R&D effort into 4 main hubs - including a new site in India resulting from its acquisition of Ranbaxy.  Daiichi currently owns 63% of Ranbaxy but 100% of the newly formed R&D group called Research Center in India (RCI) that consists of 170 researchers.

RCI will focus on inflammatory and infectious disease research.  Daiichi has transfer a half dozen early discovery programs from Japan to India.  The RCI mandate is to identify potential drug candidates that will then be transferred back to Japan for further development.

Daiichi also has R&D hubs in Japan, the US at Asubio Pharma, and in Germany at U3 Pharma.

 
Posted by Bruce Lehr Feb 8th 2011.

India Rising!

There is no doubt that India is a coming force in biotechnology -- not only in biosimilars and generics - but in contract research and manufacturing as well.

India Rising - PharmaTech Talk .

Here we have a post in PharmaTech Talk written by Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman of BioCon, one of India's leading biotechnology entrants.  She notes that India has long strived to be recognized on the world's biotech stage -- and now it is here.  Shaw can lend that historic perspective.

She sees the big opportunity that biosimilars afford India biotech where it can grab a competitive advantage by streamlining an approval process that will be both rigorous and timely.  Shaw further notes that because India long lacked capital to fund drug discovery, it developed on a service model.  Now that model is well positioned to become a major player on the world stage as MNCs look to outsource -- and many Indian firms present themselves to be strong development partners.

India is on its way to being a global destination for biotechnology.

 
Posted by Bruce Lehr Jan 14th 2011.

Pfizer May Face A Compulsory License In India

It's coming!  Natco Pharma in India likely will file soon the first request for a compulsory license to sell a generic form of Pfizer's maraviroc HIV pill.  This will be the first attempt by an Indian drug compay to initiate the compulsory licensing process. Uh-oh PhRMA members!

Pfizer May Face A Compulsory License In India // Pharmalot.

India's goverment (and specifically DIPP) has been rattling sabers all summer about the possibility of compulsory licensing provisions being activated.  This is response to its fears that India's pharma industry is increasingly being taken over by foreign multi-nationals and that these companies will start to price their products beyond the reach of many Indian consumers. PhRMA took this issue seriously enough to send a delegation to India in October to discuss the policy implications.  Big Pharma generally has said that compulsory licensing robs them of any incentive to produce innovative medicines.

Natco for its part first sought a voluntary license but expects to be turned down.  Compulsory licesning is the next step.  Natco has already informed Pfizer that the price it is charging for the brand-name version of maraviroc is too expensive for the Indian consumer. Natco proposes to reduce Pfizer's price by 77% to better serve India's 2.3 million HIV patients. Indian patent law allows a challenge to occur within 3 years after a patent is awarded - the 3 years was up in January 2010. Pfizer has until May to respond to Natco's voluntary request.

This decision could have sweeping implications for other generic and brand drug sellers in India.  It may also call for the creation of new pricing strategies by Big Phama in India or other developing markets.  And, it may cause some re-thinking on how one would evaluate the lucrativeness of an so-called emerging market like India.  Will Big Pharma be able to bet that expansion into these countries will make up for their patent cliff/poor pipeline issues afterall?

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr Jan 6th 2011.

India May Cap Foreign Direct Investment In Pharma

More from India, specifically its Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), on its concern over how to limit impact of foreign investment in the Indian Pharmaceutical industry.  DIPP fears that foreign multinational investment into the domestic Indian drug firms will result in a greater concentration on export markets and shortages of cheap drugs in the domestic market.

India May Cap Foreign Direct Investment In Pharma // Pharmalot.

DIPP's proposed solutions have included promoted compulsory licensing as “a focused and sharp response which can be invoked when a single critical drug is either unavailable per se or unavailable at reasonably affordable prices.”  Now DIPP is suggesting that foreign multinational investment be capped at a maximum of 49% for direct investment into domestic pharma firms. Currently, foreign drugmakers now command 15 percent of the Indian market, up from 10 percent in 2009 -- and is expected to exceed 20 percent by the end of this fiscal year. 

“The recent trend has shown that the foreign companies are taking over the existing businesses from the local players to instantly grab a significant market share instead of making new investments that help in expanding the industry,” Dilip Shah tells LiveMint.

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr January 3rd 2011.

India and China to Team Up on Global Pharma Tenders

As reported in LiveMint and India Today, the Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA) and the China Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA) plan to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in January to collaborate in joint tendering for global pharma export orders. Such a partnership, they believe, could expand the global pharma market to $1.1 trillion by 2014.

China has ability to produce low cost APIs and India can add formulation expertise and expertise in preparing documentation for tenders.  IDMA secretary general Daara Patel said, "The collaboration between the two will give an edge over the developed countries. Together we can meet the generic drugs' requirements of the world."  China and India manufacturers believe they can make product at less than 60% of western costs.

China officials say their drug makers are open to Indian regulators inspecting their manufacturing plants.  The drug controller general in India has expressed a desire to make such inspections as China is a major bulk drug supplier to India - in the past there has been a problem with counterfeit drugs from China. China's government acknowledges that the two nations have to work jointly to tackle the counterfeit drug problem.

 Just an observation.  This type of agreement definitely should create a formidable presence in the generics markets - especially for tenders aimed at developing nations in competition with western suppliers.  But it also opens the door for more potential counterfeiting activity and therefore the regulatory diligence in both countries (and elsewhere) needs to keep increasing to make sure the qulaity standards are being adhered to and in the long-term leveling the quality playing field accross the globe.  

Posted by Bruce Lehr December 17th 2010.

EU-India Settle WTO Drug Trade Dispute

Since May, India, Brazil and the EU have been feuding over the EU's interruptions of generic drug shipments, passing through its territory, from India to Brazil.  The EU had stopped the shipments claiming that they were in violation to member state patents - even though the drugs were legal in the improting and exporting countries. The dispute had elevated itself before a WTO court.

Now all is forgiven.  The EU has amended custom codes and will no longer stop these shipments en route to Latin America or Africa - except in the case of counterfeiting. India and the EU consider the dispute settled.  Brazil and the EU are still battling things out. See in-Pharma Technologist.com.

The dispute had implications for a EU-India free trade agreement (FTA). "This free trade zone will bring together markets of one and a half billion people.  It will be a key contribution to the global recovery.  Most importantly, it will be crucial for sustainable growth, jobs and innovation both in India and in Europe," said Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council. 

Money still talks.

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr December 13th 2010.

AZ Survey Says: US Will Drop From #1 World Innovator by 2020

AstraZeneca conducted a survey of 6000 respondents from the United States, Britain, Sweden, Japan, India and China to seek their opinion's on who currently leads the world in innovation and how that might change in the next 10 years.  The Survey Says:

Current Innovation Ranking

• United States picked as number 1 by 30%
• Japan ranked number 1 by 25%
• China ranked number 1 by 14%

Now, fast forward by 10 years.  The Survey Says:

10 yr Future Innovation Ranking

• China selected as number 1 by 27%
• India selected as number 1 by 17%
• United States selected as number 1 by only 14%
• Japan selcted as number one by 12%

Survey respondents indicated that China's fast growing economy (currently no. 2 in the world), and its emerging technological know-how influenced the voting.  A recent Thomas Reuters study showed China is now the number two producer of scientific papers behind the US.  But R&D spending is also up across Asia as it begins to compete more vigorously with the US.  R&D spending estimates for 2008 were:

• Asia $387 B
• US $384 B
• EU $280 B

The survey also found that respondents in China and India had a strong sense of optimism as compared to a greater sense of relative pessimism in the developed Western economies. Maybe you are what you think?

 
Posted by Bruce Lehr December 6th 2010.

First India Rumbled, Now China To Cap Prices On Meds From Foreign Pharma

Big Pharma may not be able to build its new revenue house out of BRICs afterall - at least without paying the contractor more.  In the past few months, India's DIPP has murmured about putting in price controls for Pharma MNCs operating in that country (see here and here) to prevent the pricing-out the poor in that country.  There was enough noise to prompt a visit by a Big Pharma delegation to lobby against this (here).

China To Cap Prices On Meds From Foreign Pharma // Pharmalot.

Now China, specifically the National Development and Reform Commission, is said to be making an aggressive move toward capping prices on "essential meds made by foreign-capitalized drugmakers". According to a China Pharmaceutical Industry Research and Development Association (not necessarily an unbiased source), the average price of 9 foreign independently priced drugs in a mere 1,311 percent higher than domestic meds. Ouch! (data could be highly selective though).

Nonetheless, the Commission, the most powerful ecnomic planning force in China, does plan to make a move on foreign drugmakers - no doubt a potentially worrying developmentif it were to become more widespread.

Posted by Bruce Lehr November 29th 2010.

Abbott India and Solvay India to Merge

According to PBR Contract Research & Services, Abbott and Solvay will merge their India operations at a swap ratio of Solvay (2):Abbott (3) shares.  Solvay Pharma India has a presence in women's health, gastroenterology, mental health and influenza vaccines.  Abbott India that offers a diverse range of pharmaceutical, nutritional and medical products, has acquired the domestic formulations business of Piramal Healthcare early this year.

Following the merger of Abbot India and Solval Pharma India, the US based Abbott will own about 75% in the combined entity. The transaction which is subject to court approval is expected to close in the early next year, said Abbott. 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr November 25th 2010.

India tightens clinical trial guidelines

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has drawn up guidelines for regulators and sponsors to help tighten up clinical trial inspection procedures.  The stricter guidelines aim to increase the credibility and integrity of clinical trial data, helping increase compliance with drugs and cosmetics regulations. The CDSCO claims a tighter framework will provide direction for inspectors and CDSCO officers when conducting inspections of sponsors, CROs (contract research organisations) and clinical trial sites.

India tightens clinical trial guidelines.

CDSCO headquarters say “inspection of clinical trial sites would generally be pre-announced,” but insist that spot-checks may occur “under some specific circumstances”. Inspection of the CRO or trial sponsor can still be conducted without prior notice.

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr November 18th 2010.

Move over China and India: Big Pharma Is Eyeing Brazil

This post comes from the BioJobBlog and highlights the fact that Brazil is a BRIC country too!  Big Pharma is increasingly looking to invest there - either in addition to or instead of India/China due to the high expected market growth rates in the country.  Pharma is targeting the Brazilian consumer with both generic offerings and innovative branded drugs.  Move over India and China - Brazil is getting ready to move in too.

Move over China and India: Big Pharma Is Eyeing Brazil.  

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr November 17th 2010.

India's NGOs: Say NO to Pharma MNC's Demands

I saw this on Yahoo! News reporting on a story in The Indian Express.  It's the latest news in the discussion within India regarding whether or not to apply pricing controls and/or compulsory license fees for patented medicines.  You can see previous posts here, here and here for background.

In an open letter to the Indian Prime Minister, representatives from various NGOs said that they don't want the goverment to capitulate to PhRMAs planned lobbying effort.  They fear that Pharma MNCs will substantially take over the India pharma industry and begin to price local consumers out of the market, and/or switch emphasis to Western international markets. In the last four years, there have been six major acquisitions of Indian drug companies. MNCs now own 3 of the top 10 Indian drug companies.

PhRMA is in India according to the NGOs to lobby against price controls and compulsory licensing provisions. The NGOs believe there is a need in India to use the compulsory licensing provisions of the Indian Patents Acts to secure access to patented drugs at affordable pricing for the large proportion of poor in India.

 

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr November 5th 2010.