-The Business Standard Now, local firms can sell their low-priced generic version of the drug in India and export it to developing markets, where it is not patented Domestic drug firms such as Cipla, Natco, Ranbaxy and Hetero are a happier lot following the Supreme Court verdict on Monday, dismissing Novartis AG's patent plea for anti-cancer drug imatinib mesylate or Glivec, as sold by the Swiss drug maker. This is because the judgement...

-The Hindu Amid protests and a walkout by Opposition MLAs in the Assembly, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday pushed through a new Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill, 2013 that ostensibly seeks to end the role of the Governor and the Chief Justice of the High Court in appointing the ombudsman. The Bill proposes a seven-member selection panel headed by the Chief Minister, which will recommend a candidate for the Lokayukta's post...

-The Economic Times Foreign pharma companies could be forced to overhaul their strategy for the Indian market by striking more local deals and cutting sky-high drug prices after the Supreme Court slammed the door on Swiss giant Novartis' attempts to gain a patent for its blood cancer-busting drug Glivec. But the ruling, welcomed by activists campaigning for affordable drugs and local generic companies, threatened to reinforce a narrative that India...

-Live Mint SC rejects Novartis's patent plea for Glivec, says it does not meet any standard of novelty or inventiveness In a landmark judgement, India's apex court rejected Swiss drug maker Novartis AG's legal challenge aimed at securing a patent for blockbuster anti-cancer drug imatinib mesylate, branded Glivec in the country. The verdict, which is seen as a setback to multinational pharmaceutical companies operating in India, may influence a rash of pending disputes...

-Reuters India's top court imposed a fine of Rs 100 crore ($18.40 million) on Sterlite Industries for polluting environment through its copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu. The case is unrelated to a separate order that has shut the Tuticorin plant, India's largest, since last week following complaints of a gas leak. Despite the fine, the Supreme Court overruled an earlier order from the Madras High Court to shut down the plant over...