India\u27s new patent bill threatens generic industry

Abstract

The Indian lower and upper parliaments have passed a controversial bill that threatens worldwide access to cheap generic medicines. “The source of affordable generic drugs may dry up over time as a result of the new Patents Act”, Ellen\u27t Hoen of charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned. “The impact of this law is not limited to antiretroviral drugs alone—the consequences might be similarly grave for any new medicine on which a patent is granted in India, be it an antimalarial, antituberculosis drug, or antibiotic”, she explained