INDIAN PATENT CHALLENGE THREATENS AFRICA'S DRUG SUPPLY

A court has adjourned a hearing of Novartis' challenge to the Indian patent system to later this month, but activists are still paying attention to the case because of its potential to affect Africa's generic drug supply, according to a U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) article.

Activists think Novartis' pursuit of a patent for its cancer drug Gleevec and legal challenge could prompt other companies to seek similar patent protections on HIV antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, threatening the supply of generic ARVs around the world, IRIN reports.

Organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Oxfam have circulated a petition signed by 300,000 people in 150 countries asking Novartis to drop the case.

MSF sent a letter to Novartis shareholders this week asking them to persuade the company's CEO to drop the case. "Increased availability and affordability of antiretroviral drugs is what allowed MSF and others to start treating HIV/AIDS patients around the world since 2000," the group said, calling India "the pharmacy of the developing world."

"We heavily rely upon affordable products from India. We are very concerned that Novartis' actions will affect the availability of affordable drugs in the poorest regions of the world," Unni Karunakara, director of MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, said.

Indian law recognized few patent restraints before the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2005, the IRIN article noted, allowing the country to develop one of the world's largest generic drug industries. But now India is bound by the WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, which strengthens the rights of pharmaceutical firms, according to IRIN.