The Indian Patents Act protects against the evergreening of the drugs, which is a common practice by pharma giants to try to stop generic companies from producing lower priced drugs (“How India rejects bad patents”, December 27, 2017). The Act is most useful for the poor who cannot afford to buy expensive drugs especially when facing chronic illness. But this too comes at a price. Take the case of a reduction in the price of stents. Even though this will promote domestic manufacturing — as big companies will withdraw from the market — it could result in the entry of substandard products. The need of the hour is for a balanced approach with an agency to monitor these products and improve funding for R&D in India. This will also make India a successful manufacturing hub.
Rahul Nair Parappath,
Thiruvananthapuram
Who says drug developments must be viewed as inventions? When life-saving vaccines such as for polio are not patented, it is ridiculous for enterprises and the developed world to support a move for patenting drugs that not only exist but are also recombined to appear as a new product. This displays their avarice, self-seeking, inhumane, profit-only motives.
Resources that have the potential to save lives must never be patented in the first place. Section 3(d) of the Indian Patents Act is on solid ground and India must uphold this legal experiment at the WTO forum, without buckling under international pressure. The welfare of India’s citizens and affordable health care must be the government’s top priority.
Devi Rajmohan,
Kochi
India being a signatory to the Doha declaration, it should ensure better access to essential medicines. The compulsory licensing system along with filtering out bad patents will ensure the availability of medicines at an affordable rate. What the Indian Patent Office is doing is commendable, which will ensure that India does not bend before pharmaceutical majors.
Vishnu Narayanan,
Kannimari, Palakkad, Kerala
