Patents

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to challenge patents on drug

Pharma major Dr Reddy’s Laboratories will continue to aggressively challenge patents on drugs in the US despite the recent denial of a 180-day marketing exclusivity to its generic Omeprazole 40 mg capsules by the US Food and Drug Administration. Omeprazole is indicated for the treatment of duodenal and gastric ulcers. The FDA granted the marketing exclusivity to Andrx group of the US....

POLY Medicure Ltd Applies for 8 Patents, 2 FDA Approvals

Poly Medicure Ltd today said it has applied for eight new patents and two USFDA approvals for its new range of safety syringes and safe blood collection holders. // "In our latest safety syringe, the needle retracts back in the plunger and gets locked after administering the shot so that it does not remain exposed after use. The important feature is that it cannot be reused preventing...

Thailand Backs Off Threat to Break Drug Patents

Thailand has delayed breaking the patent of an AIDS drug and a heart medicine, and entered into negotiations with drug firms// to lower the price so that more people can be treated. The negotiation panel of the Public Health Ministry yesterday (7 February) held its first talks with US firm Abbott to discuss a price reduction for the AIDS drug Kaletra. Thawat Suntrajarn, head o...

US Denies Granting Patents on Yoga Postures

Amid a raging row in India over reported attempts to patent the ancient Indian practice of yoga overseas, the US denied granting patents on yoga positions. In the same breath, the US embassy said here that it has granted patents on "new and non-obvious devices that may be used in conjunction with yoga". However, those patents would not include any yoga positions, the embassy said in...

People Before Patents

The Médecins Sans Frontière (MSF), a leading organization of conscientious and concerned doctors, has issued an alert about a lawsuit that the Swiss drugs firm//, Novartis, has brought against India, demanding a patent for one of its products (Gleevac, a leukemia drug). Critics say that drug firms have a habit of making minor improvements in their products and then insisting on patent...

Patents: Appellate Board Becomes Functional

After getting caught on the wrong foot in the Novartis case, the government of India is moving fast to plug all loopholes in patent law// implementation. It has now been notified that all patent litigations filed in various courts in the country after notification of the amended Patent Act have been transferred to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, set up at Chennai....