During the 34th annual convention of the American Association of Physicians of Indian-Origin (AAPI) that ended last week in New-York, the USA ambassador of India Arun Singh praised Indian pharmaceutical companies as he predicts that by the year 2020, India is likely to become one of the top 3 pharmaceutical markets in terms of growth …
India’s National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy, reported in the Hindu’s business pages earlier in May, could pose a “serious” hurdle to allowing access to affordable drugs, according to experts.The policy has left the country’s patent laws intact and specifically did not open up Section 3(d) of the Patents Act for reinterpretation, the clause which …
Intellectual Property Rights policy may hinder drug access Read More »
As debates over compulsory licensing continue, the view that patents hold the key to access to medicines is widely held. According to this article in the Huffington Post, the accepted view that a stronger patent regime in India will increase the prices of medicines, hitting the poor harder as they spend a larger portion of …
Government must not place the entire burden of access to healthcare on the pharmaceutical industry alone, Sanofi India has said responding to more medicines being put under price control. Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting held on April 29, the Sanofi India Managing Director Shailesh Ayyangar said any pricing regime must be predictable and …
Drug pricing regime needs to be predictable,transparent:Sanofi Read More »
In an editorial in the Hindu, The Centre is reported to be in favour of moving a bill requiring doctors to prescribe generic medicines in place of costly, branded ones. This progressive step, which will reform the way essential medicines are distributed to patients, was recommended by the Planning Commission’s High Level Expert Group on …
A day after US company Gilead was granted a patent on hepatitis C medicine, sofosbuvir, patient groups and companies are planning to challenge it. I-MAK and health advocates around the world agree that sofosbuvir does not deserve a patent, and will be launching an appeal to the decision. The order may block a sustainable supply …
Patients mount challenge against Gilead’s patent on new Hep C drug Read More »
Debates on how to improve healthcare in developing countries often include this premise: patents can potentially raise drug prices, so they should be abolished for better public health. This point of view is particularly widely held in a country like India, with the government’s latest National Sample Survey Office report pointing out 86 percent of …
Patents Don’t Affect The Prices Of Medicines As Much As We Think They Do Read More »
That’s the question the government must address say the OPPI. According to an article by the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), price control is neither a viable nor sustainable strategy for increasing access to medicines. Director general of Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), Ranjana Smetacek said “The focus must shift from …
According to an article by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) last month, access to affordable medicines could be severely restricted for millions of people around the world under the current proposals in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement. MSF sounded the alarm regarding the potential harmful consequences of the trade deal ahead of the …
New threat against affordable medicines in trade negotiations with India and ASEAN Read More »
India’s poor will benefit from improved access to essential medicines in India after the government capped the prices of 530 drugs under the price monitoring mechanism, reports The Pharma Letter. Around 47 formulations for cancer, 20 for AIDS/HIV, 53 for cardiovascular diseases and six for diabetes have had their prices reduced recently. As a result …
Price caps on drugs boost access to essential medicines Read More »
Health Issues India is a web portal that tracks key health stories and issues in India. On our website, you will find a guide to some of the latest trends, research, reports and journals on health. We provide original interviews and opinions of specialists as well as our own commentary on issues and events.
Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated
Copyright © 2023 | Health Issues India | All rights reserved.
