Indian courts reprimand domestic drug firms for violating patent laws

The courts in India have come down heavily against certain domestic pharmaceutical companies who have been accused of allegedly flagrantly violating patent policies, with many launching drugs that are still covered by patents, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

After Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim claimed that two Indian drug companies infringed its linagliptin patent - the latest in its ongoing saga against Indian companies violating the patent for its anti-diabetes drug - the two domestic companies, Cadila Healthcare (Zydus Lifesciences BOM: 532321) and West Coast Pharma, have been restrained by the court from manufacturing and marketing the drug.

Last year, Boehringer Ingelheim received ad-interim injunctions against four more domestic pharma companies for patent infringement.