The Hindu Business Line : Patents Bill likely to be introduced in Parliament amid protests

FROM signature campaigns to protest marches and "gheraos on Parliament" to vigils at Indian embassies abroad — The Patents (Third) Amendment Bill is set to elicit all of the above reactions, with the Bill slated to be introduced at the forthcoming winter session of Parliament starting on December 1.

"We apprehend the back-door entry of the product patent regime. Some political parties may play a double game by opposing the Bill on the face of it and refusing to allow it to be tabled in Parliament. This would in turn allow the Government to bring the Bill into force by January 1, 2005 through an ordinance," said Dr Ashwani Mahajan, Member of the national steering committee of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

"We are opposed to the Patents Bill as it will make drugs expensive for the masses, by encouraging monopoly by certain companies. This was seen in the case of the cancer drug Glivec, which on getting an exclusive marketing right forced local manufacturers to stop making the same drug at a lesser cost. We will `gherao Parliament' and will keep the protests on," he told Business Line.

Meanwhile, several non-government organisations have also initiated signature campaigns on the Internet, addressed to the Prime Minister and other Ministers, in charge of the relevant departments.

In an e-mail that echoes issues similar to those raised by the domestic pharma industry, Health GAP (Global Access Project), an US advocacy organisation, has urged the Government to bring in the product patent regime in a manner that maximises its flexibilities within the international commitments made by India.

Protest marches are also being organised in Bangalore and Delhi, against bringing in the Patents Bill in its current format, by the Affordable Medicines and Treatment Campaign and the National Working Group on Patent Laws.