-The Economic Times MUMBAI: In a setback to Sanofi SA, the Bombay High Court has dismissed the plea filed by the French pharmaceutical major saying 'superior' packaging cannot be the argument for higher pricing of drugs. The court order also clarified that fixing the prices of drugs in the country will remain in the domain of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. In its argument, the pharmaceutical company had said it had relied...

KEY TRENDS   • According to National Sample Survey report no. 583: Persons with Disabilities in India, the percentage of persons with disability who received aid/help from Government was 21.8 percent, 1.8 percent received aid/help from organisation other than Government and another 76.4 percent did not receive aid/ help *8   • As per National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), the Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR) was 57.2 per 1,000 live births (for the non-STs it was 38.5)...

-The Hindustan Times Cancer drugs will cost almost 25% less if the regulator implements a new formula that calls for a price cap. The price regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is considering a pricing mechanism similar to the one for insulin products - which has brought down prices by up to 40% - for 33 cancer drugs, most of them generics. Basically, the lowest price from the list of drugs in a...

-The Hindu The Supreme Court order rejecting a plea to grant patent protection for Glivec, a cancer-fighting drug from Novartis, is a landmark. It will greatly strengthen the quest for access to affordable medicines in India. The decision affirms the idea that a patent regime loses its social relevance when a drug is priced beyond the reach of the vast majority of a country's people. That pharmaceutical companies employ high pricing...

-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...