The Hindu Business Line : Novartis' patent claim for Glivec rejected again

NEW DELHI: Apex IPR body Intellectual Property Appellate Board has rejected Swiss drug major Novartis' patent claim for its cancer drug Glivec in India.

“We are currently reviewing the decision and will look at various options available to us,” Novartis India said in statement.

The patent claim for Glivec, for which Novartis has IP rights in nearly 40 countries, has been in the eye of a storm in India.

The NGOs are opposed to Glivec's patent claim and contested that once it is patented, the life saving drug would go out of reach for most patients as the patented drug comes at a high price. On an average, a generic (non-patented) drug costs one-tenth of patented drugs.

Earlier, Novartis' patent application was rejected by the Indian Patent Office, following which the company moved the Madras High Court, which dismissed its petition.

The IPAB upheld the objections of the Indian Patent Office but has, however, acknowledged that Novartis' patent application fulfils all international patentability criteria, Novartis India said.

“Glivec, our life-saving breakthrough drug for cancer, has been granted a patent in nearly 40 countries, including China, Russia, and Taiwan and all major developed countries, and we believe the same should be the case in India,” Novartis India said. - P TI

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