Indian court spurns Novartis on patent challenge

Thrilling AIDS activists and frustrating the drug company, an Indian court rejected Novartis' challenge to its drug patent laws [1]. Novartis claims the decision will discourage innovation. Indian law doesn't allow new patents on drugs that have simply been modified, rather than newly developed. That throws a big wrench into drug makers' strategy for combating cheaper generics: namely, using a few pips and tweaks to turn old, once-profitable meds into new, patent-protected ones. The ruling will help protect India's burgeoning generics industry from Big Pharma competition and, say patient advocates, keeps inexpensive remedies coming to populations that couldn't afford them otherwise.

- here's the report [2] from the International Herald Tribune

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