News Patents Activists Urge Narendra Modi to Protect Drug Patent Rules
In India, the patients’ rights advocates have recently asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decline any US proposal put forward to dilute the country’s Patent Protection and price control regulations. The advocates argued by saying that such proposals may pose a serious threat to India’s ability to provide affordable medical treatments, devices, and medicines to its people. Ahead of Modi’s planned visit to the United States, he received a letter on September 20, 2019, from these public health groups, which also asked him to protect the Indian government’s right to impose price caps on medical equipment and medicines. The letter shows the concern among the patients’ rights advocates and public health groups regarding India’s discussions of a possible trade agreement with the US, which may lead to changes to India’s price control mechanisms and drug control regulations on medical devices and drugs. The Patent Law in India allows the manufacturers to produce quite inexpensive generic versions of several drugs, ranging from anti-viral medications for HIV infections to anti-cancer medicines. The letter has further highlighted that India’s health ministry, state governments, and millions of its people are highly dependable on the affordable generic medicines, vaccines, and devices, which are domestically produced, and prevent and cure both communicable and non-communicable diseases. The signatories to the letter include the Cancer Patients’ Aid