Charity moves to overturn Indian pneumococcal vaccine patent

Back in August, US pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) welcomed the news that, over a decade after it applied for a patent on its blockbuster vaccine, Prevenar 13 (pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate; PVC), the Indian Patent Office finally granted protection, which expires in 2026, for the product.

Globally, Prevnar, used to protect children against pneumococcal diseases, generated sales of $1.15 billion for Pfizer in the second quarter of the current year, so an important part of its portfolio.

However, grant of the patent riled the medical humanitarian agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders India, which has now filed a petition before the High Court of Delhi to overturn the patent granted on the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) to Pfizer.