-Frontline Medecins Sans Frontieres warns that the free or regional trade agreements that are being negotiated, which seek to strengthen current patent regimes, are a potential threat to the developing world’s access to life-saving drugs, which it sources mostly from India. WHEN NELSON MANDELA’S GOVERNMENT passed the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act in 1997 to make medicines more accessible to the poor, 39 big pharmaceutical companies filed law suits in...

-The Hindu Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal could hit supply of cheap Indian drugs New Delhi: As the next round of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade talks begin in Vietnam on Monday, humanitarian aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for the removal of intellectual property provisions — known as the TRIPS-plus provisions — from the agreement. The talks are scheduled for August 15-19. According to the MSF, the TRIPS-plus...

-The Hindu The RCEP is a regional trade agreement being negotiated between the 10 ASEAN countries currently in Auckland. Humanitarian aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned India that the country will not remain ‘pharmacy of the developing world’ if the proposals in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP) are adopted. The RCEP is a regional trade agreement being negotiated between the 10 ASEAN countries currently in Auckland. MSF Access Campaign...

-PTI India will need to front load its investments substantially to almost double the number of people on ARV treatment in less than five years, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda said at UNGA. United Nations: With over 80 per cent of the affordable and quality anti-retroviral drugs used globally to treat AIDS supplied by Indian pharmaceutical industry, India has sought flexibilities in IPR under a global trade...

-The Hindu Medicines will be available at 100 subsidised stores across Maharashtra Mumbai: Generic medicines may now be available at one-fourth the price of branded medicines at more than 100 subsidised stores that the Centre plans to open in Maharashtra over the next six months. Union minister for pharmaceuticals Ananth Kumar, and Minister of State for chemicals and fertiliser Hansraj Gangaram Ahir on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State...