It allowed Natco Pharma to make and sell Nexavar, which will be available to patients for 8,800 rupees ($176; £112) for a 120-tablet pack. Bayer, which holds the patent, charges 280,000 rupees for 120 tablets. India invoked a trade rule allowing generic production of a patented drug which was unaffordable. This is the first case in India of a company being granted "compulsory license" to manufacture a patented drug. Under the rule, Natco must pay 6% in royalties to Bayer. "We are disappointed about this decision,'' Bayer spokeswoman Sabina Cusimano told the the Associated Press news agency. Ms Cusimano said the company was considering a legal challenge to the decision. "We will see if we can further defend our intellectual property rights in India." A spokesman for Natco Pharma said that the drug, used to treat kidney and liver cancer, was needed by about 8,800 cancer patients in India. "This is a victory for Indian patients and for India's generic manufacturers, which are under attack,'' said Madineedi Adinarayana, general manager of Natco Pharma. He said "many more such cases will follow". Between 2011 and 2012, many drug makers will lose patent protection on their best-selling products, opening up the market to cheaper copy-cat drugs made in countries such as India and China. They include drugs such as Lipitor, an anti-cholesterol pill manufactured by the world's largest drug maker, Pfizer. One of the biggest generic drug maker from India, Ranbaxy, won an approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to sell a generic version of Lipitor in the US market.
GMT 18:35 2018 Thursday ,11 January
Syrian refugee sets himself ablaze at UN office in LebanonGMT 18:48 2018 Tuesday ,09 January
Novo Nordisk woos Belgian nano-drug makerGMT 17:54 2017 Wednesday ,27 December
Medical evacuations begin from besieged Syria rebel bastionGMT 12:14 2017 Monday ,25 December
MoHAP successfully conducts cochlear implant operationGMT 18:24 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Palestinian conjoined twins arrive in RiyadhGMT 19:05 2017 Monday ,18 December
new! magazine names fitness & food editorGMT 17:03 2017 Wednesday ,29 November
Spain reports case of 'mad cow disease'GMT 14:05 2017 Saturday ,11 November
EU can't agree on new licence for controversial glyphosate weedkillerMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor