SC verdict on cancer drug get thumps-up from city doctors
4 April 2013 7:25 AM IST
Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict rejecting the Novartis plea for patenting a cancer drug , city doctors feel more India drug-making pharmaceutical companies can enter the market now for making generic versions of the Imantinib Mesylate medicine, which would enable doctors as well as patients to have greater choice of generic drugs at a cost far lesser that that at which the Swiss pharma major sold it’s cancer medicines.
Two days after the Supreme Court rejected Novartis’ plea for patenting cancer drug Imantinib Mesylate, doctors in the national capital expressed hope that verdict will encourage more Indian pharma companies to enter the drug market for making affordable generic versions of the drug. This in turn would enable doctors to have a wider choice of generic versions which will cost far less than the Swiss Pharma major’s price - US for $2,600 per patient per month.
SP Kataraia, head of medical oncology at Safdarjung Hospital, while appreciating the SC verdict, said, ‘This judgment will boost the supply of cheap generic drugs and will save the lives of lakhs of patients who cannot afford monthly dose of around Rs. 1.2 lakh.’
Novartis AG’s pleas had been earlier rejected by the Madras High Court in 2007 and the Intellectual Property Appellate in 2009.
Shyam Aggarwal, head of medical oncology at Sir Gangaram Hospital, said, ‘I welcome the apex court verdict, which has come after a seven-year-long battle. This judgment will not only be beneficial to Indian pharmaceutical companies but to countries like Brazil, Argentina and Thailnad, which have tie ups with Indian pharma companies which provide this drug at cheaper prices.’
Aggarwal added, ‘this decision is also a good news for domestic drugmakers such as Cipla, Ranbaxy, and others.’ Shares of Novartis India Limited plunged by nearly 7 per cent on Wednesday to hit a one-year low on the BSE, after the Supreme Court dismissed Novartis AG’s plea for getting its blood cancer drug patented in India.
Two days after the Supreme Court rejected Novartis’ plea for patenting cancer drug Imantinib Mesylate, doctors in the national capital expressed hope that verdict will encourage more Indian pharma companies to enter the drug market for making affordable generic versions of the drug. This in turn would enable doctors to have a wider choice of generic versions which will cost far less than the Swiss Pharma major’s price - US for $2,600 per patient per month.
SP Kataraia, head of medical oncology at Safdarjung Hospital, while appreciating the SC verdict, said, ‘This judgment will boost the supply of cheap generic drugs and will save the lives of lakhs of patients who cannot afford monthly dose of around Rs. 1.2 lakh.’
Novartis AG’s pleas had been earlier rejected by the Madras High Court in 2007 and the Intellectual Property Appellate in 2009.
Shyam Aggarwal, head of medical oncology at Sir Gangaram Hospital, said, ‘I welcome the apex court verdict, which has come after a seven-year-long battle. This judgment will not only be beneficial to Indian pharmaceutical companies but to countries like Brazil, Argentina and Thailnad, which have tie ups with Indian pharma companies which provide this drug at cheaper prices.’
Aggarwal added, ‘this decision is also a good news for domestic drugmakers such as Cipla, Ranbaxy, and others.’ Shares of Novartis India Limited plunged by nearly 7 per cent on Wednesday to hit a one-year low on the BSE, after the Supreme Court dismissed Novartis AG’s plea for getting its blood cancer drug patented in India.
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