Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Monday described the Supreme Court judgement rejecting Novartis AG plea for its cancer drug as "historic" and said Indian Patent Law conforms fully with global obligations under the WTO IPR pact - TRIPS.
The WTO's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement is an attempt to narrow the gaps in the way these rights are protected around the world, and to bring them under common international
TRIPS stand for Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights and Public Health.
"Indian Patent Law is fully in conformity with our international obligations under the TRIPS agreement," Sharma said.
Swiss pharma major Novartis AG on Monday lost a seven-year long legal battle for getting its blood cancer drug Glivec patented in India and to restrain Indian companies from manufacturing generic drugs, with the Supreme Court rejecting the multinational company's plea.
This will help poor patients to have easier access to quality medicines. While a one-month dose of Glivec costs around Rs 120,000, generic drugs, manufactured by Indian companies, for the same period are priced at Rs 8,000.
TRIPS, among other things, establishes minimum levels of protection that each government has to give to the intellectual property of fellow WTO members.
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