-Reuters Global drugmakers, battered by recent intellectual property decisions in the country, are girding for a landmark court ruling on Monday with broad consequences for their ability to sell lucrative patented medicines in the country. Supreme Court is due to decide on April 1 whether or not Swiss giant Novartis AG's cancer treatment Glivec deserves a patent in the country. "Big Pharma is nervous because nothing has gone in their favour in the...

-The Hindu Justice Prabha Sridevan’s judgment permitting the production and sale of a generic version of a cancer drug is a victory for patients. It posits the public interest, especially in matters of health care, right at the heart of intellectual property rights in India Monday was a remarkable day for cancer patients in India. To them, the country said — “we care.” I am talking about the astounding decision by Justice...

-The Business Standard Chennai: The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) today upheld a compulsory licence issued by the Controller of Patents to Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma Ltd, a generic drug maker, to manufacture and sell a cancer drug of bayer Corp in India. IPAB, however, made changes in the licence order by increasing the royalty payment to bayer Corp for Nexavar, used to treat liver and kidney cancer, from six per cent to...

-The Hindu bayer's plea dismissed by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) on Monday upheld the grant of compulsory licence (CL) to the Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma Limited, a generic drug maker, to produce and market Nexavar, a patented cancer drug of multinational pharma major bayer Corporation. The order will pave the way for reduction in the prices of costly life saving drugs. Disposing an appeal filed by bayer...

-The Economic Times Pharmaceutical multinationals have begun using the Right to Information law to launch pre-emptive legal action against local generic players to protect the market of patented drugs and delay the entry of low cost generic medicines in the 60,000-crore domestic drug market. MNCs are using such information to sue generic firms even at a stage when their marketing approval is still pending or during the few months' window between the...