-The Hindu The Commerce and Industry Ministry, on Thursday, issued new guidelines for pharmaceutical makers to comply with the European Union (EU) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. In a statement issued here, the Ministry says such a move will give a boost to pharma exports from India. "India has demonstrated its keenness to meet international requirements for exports of pharmaceutical products yet again by taking timely action for complying with the new...

-The Hindu The lesson from the Supreme Court ruling on Gleevec is that pharmaceutical multinational corporations need to focus research on genuine innovations rather than on ways to evergreen their patents The much awaited Supreme Court judgment on Gleevec has been delivered. Novartis has failed in reversing the rejection of its patent. And, predictably - like a scratched record - there have been suggestions that pharma investments in India will dry...

-The Business Standard   It appears a committee headed by Planning Commission member Arun Maira examining the case for continued unrestricted foreign direct investment (FDI) in the pharmaceutical industry has opted to oppose the move to change the present regime. The only concession it is willing to make to the health and commerce ministries’ demand that approval of such investment be routed through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board is to ask for...

The government may levy duty on two important drug ingredients imported from China and Mexico to protect local suppliers. The move could increase prices of popular antibiotics for consumers besides threatening business of about two dozen small drugmakers. The commerce ministry has recommended anti-dumping duty on Penicillin G Potassium and 6 APA, after Indian suppliers complained Chinese and Mexican firms are shipping it at a low price to kill competition from...