The drug patent law that was passed by the Indian Parliament will restrict access to life-saving drugs worldwide, says Oxfam, an international development agency. Because it bolsters the rights of patent holders at the expense of generic drug manufacturers, it stands in the way of producing life-saving drugs at affordable prices, the group contends.
In India, more than 300 million people live in poverty. Most of them pay for medicines from their own pockets. Any increase in price of life-saving drugs therefore would have disastrous consequences on poor people's lives in India and in other developing countries.
Developing World Will Suffer
"Because India is one of the world's biggest producers of generic drugs, this law will have a severe knock-on effect on many developing countries which depend on imported generic drugs from India," says Samar Verma, Regional Policy Advisor. Oxfam fears that prices will be out of reach for millions of poor people living with HIV-AIDS in Africa and elsewhere.
Under the agreement on intellectual property at the WTO (TRIPS), India had to introduce amendments to its existing patent act by 1st January 2005. Unfortunately, the Indian government waited until the very last minute and then rushed it through the parliament, leaving no room for democratic debate and consideration of wider public health implications, Oxfam points out.
http://health.dailynewscentral.net/content/view/542/31/
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