New chapter on the horizon for pharma data exclusivity in India

Though the European Union has been urging India to adopt provisions beyond World Trade Organization's Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a new chapter appears to have opened in India over data exclusivity, one that would interest drug multinationals both from the EU and the USA, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

A Pesticides (Amendment) Bill is to be introduced by the Indian government in Parliament. The Bill has a small clause - one that would make India’s Intellectual Property (IP) regime TRIPS Plus. The Bill also proposes to introduce data exclusivity for a period of five years.

Officials have indicated that this could be a forerunner to the grant of a similar reprieve for pharmaceuticals. The development may come as a welcome revelation to drug multinationals from the USA and EU, who have been urging for this for a long time, but have constantly been repudiated by Indian lawmakers.