Indian drug majors call for firm stance on Patents Act in FTAs

30 May 2023

Even as Tariq Ahmad, UK Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks in Delhi on Monday, and discussed the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Indian pharmaceutical companies have joined forces to urge the government to maintain a strong stance on the Patents Act as it negotiates FTAs with key global partners.

Drug majors have expressed deep concerns about the potential detrimental impact such agreements may have on the availability and affordability of generic medicines, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

UK and India have been working towards a mutually beneficial FTA. After a landmark agreement was signed between the UK and India on science, research, and innovation end-April, Lord Ahmad is in India to accelerate UK-India collaboration on science and health.

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