India's patent laws under pressure, say UK researchers

In a special report in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, researchers from Queen Mary, University of London, UK, argue that pending cases against India's patent laws threaten public health and misinterpret international intellectual property agreements.

The report, which was published Monday, highlights legal challenges by two pharmaceutical companies, Germany’s Bayer (BAYN: DE) – which is aiming to overturn a compulsory license for its cancer drug Nexavar (sorafenib) and Switzerland’s Novartis (NOVN: VX) which is fighting to obtain an Indian patent on Gleevec/Glivec (imatinib mesylate), its drug for chronic myeloid leukemia and other cancers, which was denied by India's Patent Office in 2006 - to key provisions of India's Patents Act.

Bayer's appeal was heard last week, with a decision still awaited, and the Indian Supreme Court started Novartis' much delayed appeal on Tuesday (September 11).