The Myth Behind Health And Trade Agreements – Q&A With Othoman Mellouk 18/06/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 12 Comments Dr Othoman Mellouk is a Moroccan treatment advocate who has been working on intellectual property and access to medicines for more than a decade. He is the Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines Lead at the international treatment preparedness coalition (ITPC), a global network of people living with HIV and their advocates working together to achieve access to HIV and Viral Hepatitis and a member of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Committee on HIV and Hepatitis. Dr Mellouk started off in the Association for the Fight against AIDS which has been at the forefront of the response to HIV in Morocco and the introduction of the first anti-HIV generic medicines in the country. In a series supported by the Make Medicines Affordable organisation, Mellouk recently engaged in an interview with Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch. [Note: this interview is one of two. An interview with Carlos Correa will follow.]
Five Years After The Indian Supreme Court’s Novartis Verdict 20/05/2018 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 13 Comments On 1 April 2013, in a packed room inside India’s Supreme Court, a magnificent building in Indo-British architectural style, two judges delivered a verdict that impacted the national and global conversation about patents and patients. India’s apex court delivered a 112-page landmark judgement which dismissed Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG’s appeal for a patent for its life-saving cancer drug marketed under brand name Glivec in most parts of the world. The Novartis case triggered a hugely polarising discourse around the world about a key feature of India’s patent regime.
Access To Affordable Healthcare: A Global Wake-Up Call Fosters Coalition Of The Like-Minded 27/11/2017 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW DELHI — Few topics in the global health agenda are as contentious as access to affordable medicines and medical care, and expectedly, divergent views permeated the discussions at a high-level conference in New Delhi, India last week. But if there is one thing that the three-day meet made amply clear, it was this: access to affordable healthcare has emerged as a global problem, and an emerging coalition of the like-minded, cutting across the developed and developing countries, is determined to have their voices heard in international policy circles on the issue.
Is India’s Expedited Examination Of Patents A Big Deal? 04/09/2017 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In recent days, the Indian news media has been awash with stories about a patent granted within a record 113 days. The norm, till very recently, was anywhere between three to five years and sometimes more. However, change is in the air.
US Industry Airs Hopes, Frustrations On IP Rights In India 05/07/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What do global innovators make of India’s new National Intellectual Property Rights Policy? A recent discussion on “India’s National IPR Strategy: A View from Global Innovators” in Washington DC attempted to assess the opportunities and challenges ahead from the perspective of American companies.
India Releases New Intellectual Property Policy; Reactions Building 13/05/2016 by William New and Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The Indian government today released its long-awaited new intellectual property policy, and preliminary reactions appear to be that it caters to international pressures while attempting to provide a national focus. A more careful reading with reactions will follow.
Document Explains Decision Granting Sovaldi Patent To Gilead 10/05/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A copy of the new Indian patent office order shows the details of the decision to reverse an earlier direction and grant a patent in India on the high-value hepatitis C drug. [Updated with response from Gilead]
Special Report: The Battle For Biosimilars In India 02/05/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment [story updated] Biosimilar drugs hold out big opportunities for India’s drug companies. But the future is fraught with challenges. One key challenge is regulations. What does this mean for countries like India, an emerging market for biosimilars? How will the evolving global regulatory environment on biosimilars impact patients? Last month, both these questions came to the fore as the battle over biosimilars moved centre stage in this country in the wake of an interim order by the Delhi High Court, and then another decision by a Division Bench of the same court which took a different view.
Special Report: India Rocked By Report Of Secret Assurance To US Industry On IP 22/03/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments That the Indian government has been under pressure from the United States to change its patent regime is no secret among those who follow the public discourse on intellectual property rights. Now, a new controversy about India’s alleged private assurance to the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and other lobby groups that it would not invoke compulsory licensing for commercial purposes seeks to add fuel to fiery speculation about a shift in India’s policy on IPR.
Gilead Sovaldi Case Reveals Patent-Health Fissures In India 09/03/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NEW DELHI — Are patient groups, health activists and manufacturers of low-cost generic drugs always on the same page? Do India’s generic companies think alike? The short answer: not necessarily, though their interests have overlapped on many occasions.