Ranbaxy gets USFDA approval for migraine drug

Khomba Singh

10-Feb-2009

US FDA accepts Roxros pain drug NDA for review

Roxro Pharma Inc announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review the New Drug Application for its lead investigational prescription drug candidate ROX 888 for the management of acute moderate to severe pain.

12-Feb-2009

Gen Next turns its back on small medium pharma companies

India was import dependent on drugs till 1970 when Indira Gandhi the then prime minister decided to amend the Patent Act to legalise process patenting or copying of drugs innovated by multinationals.

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai

India was import dependent on drugs till 1970 when Indira Gandhi the then prime minister decided to amend the Patent Act to legalise process patenting or copying of drugs innovated by multinationals.

23-Feb-2009

Will continue to cooperate with USFDA Ranbaxy

Ranbaxy has just received a letter and information indicating that all pending and approved ANDAs from Ranbaxys Paonta Sahib facility have been added to a list maintained under a policy entitled Application Integrity Policy or AIP.

26-Feb-2009

Pfizer Expands Portfolio of Generic Medicines in the US and Europe

Pfizer Inc announced that it has entered into a series of agreements with Aurobindo Pharma Ltd a pharmaceutical company based in India to commercialize medicines that are no longer patent protected and have lost market exclusivity in the United States and Europe further progressing its Established Products Business Unit strategy.

NEW YORK

03-Mar-2009

AstraZeneca gets US FDA nod for Symbicort to treat COPD

London

4-Mar-2009

Watson to pay $18 million to Elan to settle patent suit

By Kathy Shwiff

7-Mar-2009

Moodys cuts Pfizer as Lipitor patent nears expiry

Moodys Investors Service on Wednesday cut its ratings on Pfizer citing declining credit quality at the pharmaceutical company due to the upcoming expiration of its patent for cholesterol drug Lipitor.

Karen Brettell,NEW YORK

13-Mar-2009

US FDA approves Suns new drug to market Topamax topiramate

PTI,MUMBAI

29-Mar-2009

Teva Pharma A Safe Prescription

Hit by a triple whammy of pipeline woes an onslaught of blockbuster patent expiries and regulatory stringency the once invincible branded drugs giants are engulfed in a fog of uncertainty.

6-Apr-2009

The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal by two Sanofi Aventis SA units refusing to reinstate a patent that prevented generic competition to the companys top selling product the blood thinner Lovenox.

By Greg Stohr and Susan Decker

27-Apr-2009

Sanofi Rebuffed by US High Court on Lovenox Patent

The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal by two Sanofi Aventis SA units refusing to reinstate a patent that prevented generic competition to the companys top selling product the blood thinner Lovenox.

By Greg Stohr and Susan Decker

27-Apr-2009

Cipla and other Indian pharma majors can now legally manufacture generic versions of Tamiflu after the patent office in Delhi last month rejected a patent application by Swiss company Roche which markets the antiviral in India.

Khomba Singh & Sushmi Dey

28-Apr-2009

McCurry beats McDonald in Malaysia lawsuit

David Chance, Kuala Lumpur — 29-May-2009

Fast food chain McDonald\'s lost a lawsuit in Malaysia on Wednesday after an appeals court overruled a decision that its trademark had been infringed by a local restaurant called McCurry.

HC lifts stay against TVS on Flame

TVS has been a licencee of patent dated May 25 2000 and Bajaj held the patent as of July 1 2002.

Agencies, fe Bureau

20-May-2009

Atherotech receives patent for ApoB measurement for determining heart disease risk

Atherotech Inc developer of the VAP Cholesterol Test has announced it has received a patent on its method to derive and report apolipoprotein B100 using the Vertical Auto Profile technology.

Medicinal Patent News

19-May-2009

Rallis India seeks patent for three new biomolecules

In a move that could help extend its presence in the global crop protection market Rallis India Ltd a Tata group agrochemical company has developed at least three new biomolecules for use in fungicides

C.H. Unnikrishnan

Top court to hear business method patent case

By Diane Bartz — 2-Jun-2009

The Supreme Court said on Monday that it would hear the Bilski patent case which will tell high tech and software companies how far they can go in patenting software financial strategies and other abstract processes.

3-Jun-2009

Rallis India seeks patent for three new biomolecules

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 3-Jun-2009

Novocell Obtains US Patent for Drug Screening Human Embryonic Cell Derived Endoderm Cells

SAN DIEGO — 3-Jun-2009

Novocell Inc a stem cell engineering company today announced that it has received US Patent No 7541185 with method claims covering the use of endoderm cells derived from human embryonic stem cells for drug discovery.

Almirall gets FDA approval for migraine drug

by Tracy Rucinski — 3-Jun-2009

Almiralls patent on Almotriptan in the United States has been extended to November 2015.

Mylan Again Calls for an End to Authorized Generics During 180 Day Exclusivity Period

PITTSBURGH — 3-Jun-2009

The committees hearing Pay to Delay Are Patent Settlements That Delay Generic Drug Market Entry Anticompetitive was called to gather information about the effects of settlements.

Vical Receives US Patent For Universal Influenza Vaccine Approach

By Staff Reporter — 3-Jun-2009

Vical has received US Patent No 7537768 covering the use of influenza virus gene sequences in a universal vaccine that could provide protection against circulating seasonal strains as well as emerging pandemic strains of influenza viruses.

Agilent wins patent fight with Affymetrix

by Maggie Fox and Diane Bartz — 04-Jun-2009

A US patent appeals court ruled on Thursday in favor of Agilent Technologies which had been involved in a patent fight with Affymetrix Inc.

Vizio files TV patent suit against LG in US

by Rhee So-eui — 07-Jun-2009

US TV brand Vizio Inc has filed a patent infringement suit against South Koreas LG Electronics Inc seeking an injunction to ban LG from importing and selling certain TVs in the United States.

India can become a global pharma innovation hub experts say

PTI,WASHINGTON — 09-Jun-2009

William Chin Vice President Discovery Research & Clinical Investigation Eli Lilly felt the pharma industry is under siege with flood of patent expiries higher safety hurdles and pricing pressure.

Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc Announces Submission of a Request for Special Protocol Assessment to FDA for Pivotal Trial for Tamper Resistant Extended Release Opioid COL 003

CUMBERLAND, R.I — 10-Jun-2009

COL 003 is a tamper resistant formulation of extended release oxycodone that incorporates the Companys patented DETERx™ delivery technology.

Watson Files ANDA For Generic Mucinex D

By Staff Reporter — 11-Jun-2009

Watson has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application with the FDA seeking approval to market its guaifenesin pseudoephedrine HCI extended release 600mg 60mg and 1200mg 120mg tablets prior to the expiration of patents owned by Reckitt Benckiser.

RPT Pfizer eyes deals to raise emerging markets presence

By John Irish — 14-Jun-2009

Pfizer which posted $48 billion in revenue last year faces severe sales declines in the coming years from patent expirations to its own products including its blockbuster Lipitor cholesterol treatment.

Sharp wins US patent fight with Samsung

by Diane Bartz — 15-Jun-2009

Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp has won a fight with South Koreas Samsung Electronics Co over patented technology for liquid crystal displays according to an administrative law judges ruling from the US International Trade Commission.

US Patent Office Provides Re Examination Office Action for US Patent No 5735844

press release — 15-Jun-2009

Palomar also added 27 new claims to the 844 patent and the PTO confirmed these new claims as patentable.

Martek European regulator upholds patent with narrower claims

by Jennifer Robin Raj in Bangalore — 16-Jun-2009

Martek Biosciences Corp a health and nutritional supplements maker said the European Patent Office upheld its arachidonic patent granted in 2007 but with narrower claims.

DuPont fires back at Monsantos patent lawsuit

By ERNEST SCHEYDER — 16-Jun-2009

DuPont fired back at Monsantos patent lawsuit Tuesday telling a federal court it did not err in combining its genetically modified soybeans with Monsantos herbicide product.

MicroFluidic Systems Receives Patent for Method to Selectively Process Different Biological Cell Types for Analysis.

M. Allen Northrup,MicroFluidic Systems — 16-Jun-2009

Microfluidic Systems a privately held company announced today that they received patent number 7541166 entitled Sonication to Selectively Lyse Different Cell Types.

India losing 2,000 patents every year: Jairam Ramesh

17-Jun-2009

India is losing about 2,000 patents every year in the US and Europe on traditional formulations as the knowledge on these is not documented, said union minister of state for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh

Drug industry expects final EU probe report July 8

By Ben Hirschler — 17-Jun-2009

There could also be a couple of positive recommendations he added such as backing for a common European patent applicable in all EU countries and the introduction of a specialised patent litigation system.

US firm files patent infringement case against Ranbaxy

18-Jun-2009

Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, a US-based skincare drug manufacturer, has filed a lawsuit against Daiichi Sankyo-owned Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals for alleged infringement of its patent on Solodyn, a minocycline hydrochloride extended-release tablet used to treat acne.

Sanofi says US court ruled against it on Eloxatin

by Deena Beasley — 18-Jun-2009

Sanofi Aventi SA on Thursday said a US court ruled against the French pharmaceutical company by granting summary judgment motions brought by generic drugmakers in patent litigation over the cancer drug Eloxatin.

Novartiss Sandoz Sued by J&J Over Contraceptive Pill Patent

By Susan Decker — 19-Jun-2009

J&Js Ortho McNeil Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit wants a federal judge to prevent Sandoz from getting regulatory approval until a patent expires in 2019.

Big Pharma comes calling to India

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 19-Jun-2009

Thanks to the favourable patent regime in India till 2005 his team of scientists and he worked in small research and development laboratories in Hyderabad and successfully reverse engineered patented drugs of multinationals to make low cost generic drugs.

Pfizer Wins Canadian Patent Protection for Viagra

By Joe Schneider — 19-Jun-2009

Pfizer Inc the worlds biggest drugmaker has a valid Canadian patent on the impotence pill Viagra a federal judge ruled dismissing a bid by Novopharm Ltd to introduce a generic version of the drug.

Generic cos board biosimilars wagon

Priyanka Golikeri — 19-Jun-2009

Move over off patent chemical drugs.

Elder signs deal with US co for human trials of anti cancer drug

Sushmi Dey — 19-Jun-2009

The company follows the non infringing business model of either in licensing products of innovator companies or manufacturing off patented drugs.

Madras HC stays customs order on dual SIM phones

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 19-Jun-2009

The leading parties in the legal case were Samsung India Electronics Ltd and Hansum India Ltd which were arguing against Madurai based engineer S. Ramkumar who holds a patent for dual SIM phones in India.

Prices of essential drugs may drop by 30 70%

Gireesh Chandra Prasad & Sushmi Dey — 19-Jun-2009

The government is likely to revise the plan to have a comprehensive new drug policy which would extend a milder form of price control to 354 essential medicines.

Advinus seeks approval for trials of new diabetes molecule

Our Bureau — 19-Jun-2009

Advinus Therapeutics has filed its first investigational new drug application with the Drugs Controller General of India to start clinical trials on humans for a new diabetes type 2 molecule.

Cannabis Science To File Patent For Cannabis Processing and Drug Delivery Systems

By Staff Reporter — 19-Jun-2009

Cannabis Science has announced that patent filings are expected for two of its key innovations.

Chavez may end patents on medicine in Venezuela

by Frank Jack Daniel — 21-Jun-2009

President Hugo Chavez has vowed to shake up the rules governing intellectual property rights on medicines and other products in Venezuela the socialists latest move against the private sector.

Pfizer charges Sun with another patent violation

Nina Mehta — 22-Jun-2009

A legal battle between US pharma giant Pfizer and Indian company Sun Pharmaceutical has escalated with the worlds largest maker of medicines alleging in court filings that in addition to the original patent that it claims Sun violated it infringed another patent when it sought approval for its generic version of Lyrica a blockbuster drug used to treat seizures.

Pharma sector told to focus on improving HR quality

22-Jun-2009

Finishing schools in the information technology industry are creating more awareness towards the Intellectual Property Rights environment and the pharma industry should emulate it said panellists at the Bangalore Bio 2009 here Saturday.

i2india hopes to bridge industry academia gap

L.N. Revathy — 22-Jun-2009

i2india an IPR Intellectual Property Rights commercialisation and investment company is striving to bridge the gap between the industry and academia by providing the nucleus for growing such companies in India.

Intellectual property issues in school franchising

Anuradha Salhotra — 22-Jun-2009

Emergence of school franchises bodes well for the several thousand students all over the country who scramble to study in well known schools.

A Scholar Activist Challenges US Patent Law

By Michael Orey — 22-Jun-2009

John Duffy wants courts to rethink what can be patented and how to calculate damages.

ION sues WesternGeco for patent infringement

by Arup Roychoudhury in Bangalore — 22-Jun-2009

ION Geophysical Corp said it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against privately held WesternGeco LLC over technology related to steering devices and control systems for marine seismic streamers.

Ericsson signs LTE patent deals

by Sven Nordenstam — 22-Jun-2009

Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has signed its first license agreements for LTE technology patents allowing other companies to use the technology an Ericsson official said on Monday.

U.S. Patent Infringement Lawsuit Filed by Aperio Technologies Inc.

David A. Leinwand — 23-Jun-2009

A U.S. patent infringement lawsuit was filed on June 10 2009 against Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. Hamamatsu Corporation and Olympus America Inc.

UNITAID to meet Indian drug manufacturers

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 23-Jun-2009

The UNITAID patent pool initiative seeks to ensure that patents do not prevent the production of generic ARVs particularly the development and production of fixed dose combinations and AIDS medicines for children.

A global patenting model for India

PK Vasudeva — 24-Jun-2009

The United Nations arm on intellectual property is planning to implement a global patenting model which will pave the way for global firms to obtain patents in India easily.

CEL SCI Files Patent Application For LEAPS Immune Therapy Drugs

By Staff Reporter — 24-Jun-2009

CEL SCI has filed a provisional US patent application covering its LEAPS immune therapy drugs vaccines.

Actavis Launches Finasteride As Patent Expires In France

By Staff Reporter — 24-Jun-2009

Actavis has launched Finasteride in France just one day before the patent expired.

DRDO records jump in patents filing

General — 24-Jun-2009

The Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO has registered a substantial jump in filing patents and set a 10 per cent growth target for the current year.

Vicious sting in the tail of FTAs

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 24-Jun-2009

Because FTAs have more stringent provisions than those mandated by the World Trade Organisation under the TRIPS for protecting the intellectual property rights IPRs of the developed world such agreements can directly impact access to affordable medicines

Drug patent pool proposal gets a push

P. T. Jyothi Datta — 25-Jun-2009

Concerned over the changing intellectual property environment where medicines are getting patented across the world UNITAID had proposed a patent pool to make drugs more accessible.

Sharp may appeal ruling in patent row with Samsung

by Mayumi Negishi in TOKYO and Diane Bartz in WASHINGTON — 25-Jun-2009

Sharp Corp said it may appeal a ruling by a US trade panel that said the Japanese electronics maker had violated an LCD patent held by South Koreas Samsung Electronics.

Japan approves first generic biotech drug

Reuters — 25-Jun-2009

Biosimilars are viewed as a promising new market given the pent up demand for cheaper versions of extremely expensive biotech drugs some of which are coming to the end of their patent life.

Irish court invalidates patent on Glaxos top drug

by Ben Hirschler — 26-Jun-2009

An Irish court has ruled that a key patent protecting GlaxoSmithKlines biggest selling medicine is invalid the British based drugmaker said on Friday.

The Real Reason Big Pharma Mergers Are Wise

Charles Farkas and Tim van Biesen — 26-Jun-2009

Thats important because of the looming patent cliff as blockbuster drugs lose their patent protection faster than new ones can emerge.

Takeda fails to get US approval for diabetes drug

by Leika Kihara — 27-Jun-2009

Takeda Pharmaceutical Japans largest drugmaker said on Saturday a key diabetes drug had failed to get approval from U.S. regulators who had asked for additional safety tests a process the company predicts could take at least two years.

Takeda shares down on diabetes drug setback

by Mayumi Negishi — 28-Jun-2009

Actos patent expires in 2011.

Now Kinnauri shawl to get a patent

Pratibha Chauhan — 28-Jun-2009

After the Kullu shawl Kangra tea and the Chamba rumaal it is now the turn of the Kinnauri shawl to acquire a patent and a GI Geographical Indication stamp a hallmark for quality and authenticity.

Glenmark banks on new drugs to recover losses

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 29-Jun-2009

While the generics or off patent drug business of Glenmark has been growing it had to write off in the March quarter at least Rs130 crore on account of stock withdrawals following delayed US market approvals and Rs117 crore for price erosion of distributor stock after the expiry of US market exclusivity of its anti epilepsy drug oxcarbazapine.

India needs a brilliant wave of entrepreneurs

ET Bureau — 29-Jun-2009

Koshy has been working towards his dream for seven years now and had applied for a patent as well.

US study wants India to allow frivolous patenting

Priyanka Golikeri — 29-Jun-2009

Multinational drug makers seem hell bent upon forcing the government to alter the patent regulations in their favour.

14 years of data exclusivity is crazy

Nina Mehta — 29-Jun-2009

Founder of the generic trade association in the US William Haddad chairman and CEO of Biogenerics initiated and negotiated the Drug Price Competition and Patent Restoration Act Hatch Waxman.

Make it a criminal violation Japan

Priyanka Golikeri — 29-Jun-2009

But a bigger demand from Japan is stringent enforcement of intellectual property laws including criminal procedures against patent infringement.

Indian firm sues South Africa after losing AIDS drug contract

AGENCIES,JOHANNESBURG — 29-Jun-2009

An Indian manufacturer of drugs to treat HIV AIDS is suing the South African government after failing to clinch a $400 million tender South African media reported on Monday.

Jury returns $1.67B drug verdict against Abbott

by Ransdell Pierson and Jonathan Spicer — 29-Jun-2009

A U.S. federal jury returned a $1.67 billion verdict against Abbott Laboratories in a patent suit brought by Johnson & Johnson related to arthritis treatments the drug companies said on Monday.

Aurobindo Pharma sues SA govt over AIDS drug bids

BV Mahalakshmi — 30-Jun-2009

The balance was awarded to the patent holding companies.

Sun Pharma Inclement weather

Shobhana Subramanian / Mumbai — 30-Jun-2009

Sales of Para IV products those abbreviated new drug applications that face a patent challenge fetch a larger amount estimated at $150 million.

Biocon Mylan team up for global biogenerics play

C Chitti Pantulu — 30-Jun-2009

An initial list of products has been identified that includes a basket of biologics that will go off patent by 2016 he said.

Collegium Pharmaceutical Announces the Sale of AllerNaze to Lupin

CUMBERLAND, R.I. — 30-Jun-2009

COL 003 is a tamper resistant formulation of extended release oxycodone that utilizes the Companys patented DETERx™ delivery technology.

Abbott Loses Drug Patent Suit

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — 30-Jun-2009

A unit of Johnson & Johnson said Monday that a jury has ordered Abbott Laboratories to pay $1.67 billion in a patent infringement suit over rheumatoid arthritis drugs.

U.S. group questions AstraZenecas Crestor patent

by Diane Bartz — 1-Jul-2009

A U.S. patent research group says it has uncovered evidence that could be used to declare AstraZeneca Plcs patent for its cholesterol fighter Crestor invalid.

LG and Hitachi Settle Patent Fights Over TVs and Servers

By Susan Decker — 2-Jul-2009

Hitachi Ltd Japans largest electronics maker and South Koreas LG Electronics Inc. have settled their U.S. patent disputes over plasma televisions computer servers and car radio and navigation systems.

Pharma not IT is Indias next big thing

Pallavi Aiyar — 2-Jul-2009

Indian companies know they cant survive on the generic model alone forever. So once they have a serious self interest in protecting patents that will be the tipping point.

Dish wins stay in TiVo patent fight

The Associated Press — 02-Jul-2009

Dish Network satellite TV customers can keep using their digital video recorders while a court battle continues with TiVo Inc.

Bayer Files Lawsuit Against Teva

By Staff Reporter — 02-Jul-2009

Bayer Schering and Bayer HealthCare together with Schering have filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the US Federal Court in the District of Delaware against Teva Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.

Glenmark gets first to file status for 3 drugs in US

Nina Mehta — 3-Jul-2009

First to file status typically recognises a generic company as being the first to file a para IV application challenging a particular patent and seeking to manufacture generic versions of a drug which at present does not have generic competition.

Biotechnology can be the next big driver for the pharma sector

Pillman — 03-Jul-2009

The authors of the study noted The fact that a biotech product will assume Lipitors crown in 2012 after the cholesterol lowering drug phenomenon goes off patent is indicative of the increasing dominance of biotech products and specifically cancer antibodies.

Ayurveda drug for cancer Experts

Minati Singha — 03-Jul-2009

Lavekar said they have the credit of obtaining as many as 22 patents including one international patent right on drugs.

Bitter Pill Novartis patent plea for cancer drug Gilvec rejected

REUTERS — 05-Jul-2009

Novartis Indias application to patent its cancer drug Glivec has been rejected by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board IPAB.

Emami plans to make 50 Ayurvedic drugs from Zandu stable

Aveek Datta — 6-Jul-2009

The company had even tried to secure patent for some of its formulations but couldnt because of unfriendly patent offices Bhatt added.

Novartis may challenge verdict denying patent for cancer drug

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 6-Jul-2009

The Indian tribunal had cited non compatibility with domestic patent laws and unaffordable pricing as reasons

Fake drugs reach Kenya now

Amiti Sen — 6-Jul-2009

Africa is an important market for Indian drug producers as it accounts for over 15% of Indias total generic off patent drugs exports worth Rs 30000 crore annually.

Precision BioSciences Issues Update Regarding Recent U.S. Patent Office Action Concerning Cellectis Patents

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C (BUSINESS WIRE) — 06-Jul-2009

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is reexamining two currently issued U.S. patents owned by the Institut Pasteur and the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie and licensed to Cellectis SA.

Takeda Sues Torrent to Stop Generic Copy of Actos Diabetes Pill

By Susan Decker — 06-Jul-2009

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. sued Indias Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. to prevent it from selling a copy of the Actos diabetes pill in the U.S. until 2016.

A Prescription for Saving Big Drugmakers

By Mark Schneider — 6-Jul-2009

But concerns over patent expirations of blockbuster drugs generic drug competition regulatory problems and a lack of promising new products are giving investors caution.

Dor BioPharma Receives European Patent For Drug Delivery Technology

By Staff Reporter — 8-Jul-2009

Dor BioPharma has received a European patent for its Lipid Polymer Micelle technology for the improved oral delivery of drugs.

Astellas wins OK for broader use of key drug in Japan

by Yumiko Nishitani — 07-Jul-2009

In the United States where Prograf lost patent protection in April last year Astellas expects competition from a generic rival in the financial year ending in March 2010.

U.S. court to rehear spat over patent office rules

by Diane Bartz — 07-Jul-2009

A U.S. appeals court has said it would rehear a fight between drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc and the patent office over new rules aimed at cutting a backlog of patent applications.

Star Scientific seeks to overturn Reynolds verdict

By Ian Sherr — 07-Jul-2009

Tobacco company Star Scientific Inc is seeking reversal of a jury ruling that cleared a Reynolds American Inc unit of violating a Star patent for reducing cancer causing agents in tobacco.

DOJ Shifts Policy on Generic Drug Patent Settlements

By BRENT KENDALL — 7-Jul-2009

The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday took a skeptical view on the legality of pharmaceutical patent settlements that delay the introduction of generic drugs the latest change in antitrust policy under the Obama administration.

Teva stops shipping generic birth control pill

The Associated Press — 7-Jul-2009

The worlds largest generic drug maker said it agreed to stop shipping the drug pending a preliminary injunction hearing in a patent infringement lawsuit from Johnson & Johnson.

Glivec patent ruling a welcome turn for Novartis

Priyanka Golikeri & KV Ramana — 8-Jul-2009

The rejection of Novartis patent application for the beta crystalline version of cancer drug Glivec by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board on the ground that it is priced beyond the reach of the common man may have given the company new ground to challenge Indian patent rules.

Alnylam Joins GSK In Patent Pool For Neglected Tropical Diseases

By Staff Reporter — 8-Jul-2009

Alnylam shall contribute more than 1500 issued or pending patents on its RNA interference technology patent estate to the patent pool established by GlaxoSmithKline.

Alnylam Joins GSK in Donating IP to Patent Pool

CAMBRIDGE, MASS & LONDON — 08-Jul-2009

GlaxoSmithKline and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced on July 8 2009 that Alnylam will contribute more than 1500 issued or pending patents on its RNA interference technology patent estate to the patent pool established by GSK earlier this year according to Alnylam.

Dilemma on traditional knowledge

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 8-Jul-2009

Last Friday the World Intellectual Property Organisation ended a five day meeting of the Inter governmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources Traditional Knowledge and Folklore without Indias participation.

Ranbaxy faces new legal trouble in US

Radhieka Pandeya — 9-Jul-2009

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd whose share price has been roiled by its troubles with the US drug regulator suffered a further blow with Canadian generic or off patent drug maker Apotex Inc. questioning in court the companys ability to launch two generic drugs on schedule.

Nestle Takeda sue Lupin Torrent over patents

PB Jayakumar / Mumbai — 9-Jul-2009

Cases aimed at stopping approval of new generics

EU raps Big Pharma Indian copycat kings boosted

Priyanka Golikeri — 9-Jul-2009

Though it does not actually mention the term evergreening it details the primary patents and secondary patents which Big Pharma seek said an intellectual property expert based in New Delhi who is closely monitoring the report.

Lupin Matrix face antitrust probe in EU

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 9-Jul-2009

The Commission said it would continue to probe whether use of patents to delay generics violated antitrust rules as companies used a variety of techniques to delay introduction of generics.

Teva Servier Face EU Antitrust Probe for Drug Delays

By Matthew Newman and Naomi Kresge — 9-Jul-2009

The commission called for a community patent that would be valid in all of the EUs 27 member states.

Knotted patent litigations inflict medical devices mkt

Soma Das — 9-Jul-2009

The lucrative domestic medical devices industry estimated to touch $1.7 billion in 2010 and expected to grow at an annual growth rate of around 23% is getting mired in entangled patent litigation cases with companies dragging each other to courts.

Drug firms come under EU lens over antitrust practices

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters — 09-Jul-2009

The EU executive said it would examine current EU rules on price and reimbursement urged European countries to introduce legislation to facilitate the entry of generics and stress the need for a Europe wide patent.

3 Indian pharma cos face EU anti trust probe

fe Bureau, Agencies — 09-Jul-2009

In April 2007 Lupin had sold certain patent and intellectual property rights of perindopril to French firm Laboratories Servier for Rs 115.31 crore euro 20 million.

Europe Is Studying Delays in Access to Generic Drugs

By JAMES KANTER — 09-Jul-2009

Commission officials said that generic versions of drugs often were unavailable for at least seven months after the patent on the original version expired a factor that drove costs up by at least 3 billion euros from 2000 to 2007 in 17 European Union countries.

Lupin 2 others face Europe anti trust probe

Our Bureau — 10-Jul-2009

The investigation is still at an early stage and the EC has said that the publication of its statement does not imply it has proof of an infringement of the competition rules Lupin told the media.

Matrix drags Israeli co Teva to court over patent issue

Chandra Ranganathan & Sai Deepika Amirapu — 10-Jul-2009

The dust hasnt settled yet on the Novartis case and another patent dispute has emerged in the pharma space.

Cipla gets notices for alleged overcharging

Our Bureau — 10-Jul-2009

The issue has been under litigation for over five years and the total alleged overcharging amount on Cipla at present is over Rs 1000 crore.

Ranbaxy recalls drug in US

Khomba Singh — 10-Jul-2009

Industry experts say consumer litigation are unlikely for such drug recalls.

Forest Lundbeck settle patent row over Lexapro

by Lewis Krauskopf — 10-Jul-2009

Forest Laboratories Inc and H Lundbeck AS have settled patent infringement litigation with two generic drugmakers on their blockbuster Lexapro anti depressant the companies said on Friday.

STOCKS TO WATCH Infosys Matrix Labs Ranbaxy

ET Bureau — 10-Jul-2009

Matrix Laboratories has filed an application against Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries challenging a process patent used to make Tevas blockbuster drug Copaxone.

Pfizer CEO Braces For Changes

Arlene Weintraub — 10-Jul-2009

Thats particularly a challenge in light of drugs going off patent.

Dark clouds loom on Big Pharma horizon

By Sam Cage — 10-Jul-2009

Consolidation was the major theme of early 2009 as some companies tried to escape the patent crunch by splashing the cash aiming for synergies to offset the depressed outlook for growth over the next few years.

Ranbaxy plans to launch growth hormone drug

Mohit Bhalla — 11-Jul-2009

Ranbaxy Laboratories is planning a new growth hormone product to target the emerging global market for new versions of patent expired biotech drugs a person familiar with the development said.

Efficacy point in Glivec ruling impractical

Pillman — 11-Jul-2009

The controversy over patent to Novartis magic bullet Glivec continues to deepen.

Foreign copycats rattle Gujarat brands

Vishal Dutta — 11-Jul-2009

The US trademark office turned down the Patel familys request for registration.

Team heads to Africa on quality mission

Amiti Sen — 13-Jul-2009

Africa accounts for over 15% of Indias total generic off patent drugs exports worth Rs 30000 crore annually.

Delhi HC rejects German pharma cos plea

Legal,NEW DELHI — 13-Jul-2009

The Delhi High Court has rejected the plea of German pharma company B Braun Melsungen AG claiming patent rights to an item sold by healthcare products manufacturer Eastern Medikit.

We have a conservative generic policy

Nina Mehta — 13-Jul-2009

We do make generic versions of our previously patented products.

Sun Pharmaceutical Rises Most in Three Weeks on Suit Settlement

By Rajhkumar K Shaaw — 13-Jul-2009

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. rose the most in three weeks after it reached an agreement with Forest Laboratories Inc. to drop a lawsuit challenging patents on the antidepressant Lexapro.

India Inc finds stem cells a healthy business

PB Jayakumar / Mumbai — 14-Jul-2009

The company already owns seven patents.

West uses Africa in war against generic drugs

Priyanka Golikeri — 14-Jul-2009

Now the developed world is using this vulnerability and turning it into a campaign against legitimate generics by branding them counterfeits which has to do more with IPR and patent violations than quality.

Sun Pharma up on patent deal with Forest Labs

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 14-Jul-2009

Sun Pharma rose 2.6 per cent to Rs 1149.75 after the company and its subsidiary Caraco Pharma entered into agreement with Forest Labs and H Lundbeck over Lexapro.

Merck to revise labelling on cervical cancer vaccine

P.T. Jyothi Datta — 14-Jul-2009

Multinational drug major Merck Sharp & Dohme will revise the labelling on its cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil after it informs the Indian drug regulatory authority later this month.

PE & VC firms bullish on Healthcare investments

ET Bureau — 14-Jul-2009

In the Life Sciences segment investors concerns are focused on the high risk of failure especially in new drug R&D stiff competition from inside and outside India as well as patent related issues.

Sun Pharma A dose of good news

Shobhana Subramanian / Mumbai — 14-Jul-2009

The US authorities still need to bless the settlement that Sun Pharma has entered into with Forest Laboratories Holdings over the patent litigation for Lexapro an anti depressant.

Kenya gives clean chit to imported drugs from India

Sushmi Dey — 14-Jul-2009

The legislation recognises intellectual property rights registered in any country of the world and not necessarily in Kenya.

Retailer Knockoffs Abound in India

By HEATHER TIMMONS — 15-Jul-2009

The United States has long tussled over intellectual property rights with China where counterfeiters crank out knockoffs of designer bags and iPhones and manufacturers have even made entire vehicles that look just like foreign cars.

R&D gets a boost

ET Bureau — 15-Jul-2009

In tandem whats required is to promptly update the norms on royalty payment for use of trademark or brand and fees for technology transfer.

Bisleri Coke may smoke peace pipe

Monica Behura — 16-Jul-2009

Last year the Delhi High Court was prima facie of the view that Coca Cola was the owner of the Maaza trademark in India.

Indian pharma firms swallow bitter pill in US Europe

PB Jayakumar / Mumbai — 16-Jul-2009

Regulators tighten net on safety grounds

US amendment may leave Indian biopharma cos shaken & stirred

Nina Mehta — 16-Jul-2009

Once a patent is filed it takes a company almost 10 years to develop the product and reach the market.

IPL teams to now bat for trademark rights

Monica Behura — 16-Jul-2009

All eight franchises of the Indian Premier League including Shahrukh Khans Knight Riders Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils have filed applications before government authorities in 12 13 cricket playing countries seeking exclusive trademark rights for their names.

Madras HC stays appellate board order on dual SIM patent

Niranjana Ramesh — 16-Jul-2009

The Madras High Court on Wednesday set aside an interim order passed by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board suspending the patent held by Madurai based engineer Somasundaram Ramkumar for the technology that enables usage of more than one SIM card in mobile handsets popularly called a dual SIM.

Roche set to move SC against high court ruling on Tarceva

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 16-Jul-2009

Roche had appealed against a ruling that allowed Cipla to continue selling a generic version of the cancer drug Tarceva despite having a patent of it in India.

Patents will only benefit patients claim drug cos

Priyanka Golikeri — 17-Jul-2009

As the issue of patent protection assumes centrestage not only in India but also in the countrys free trade agreements with different countries multinationals are dredging up a number of reasons to support their demand for patent protection.

Pvt equity venture capital cos turning to healthcare Report

Our Bureau — 17-Jul-2009

Another issue is the high risk of failure especially in new drug discovery competition from within and outside India as well as patent related issues.

Govt orders recall as Natco cancer drug fails toxin test

Sushmi Dey — 18-Jul-2009

Natco has filed pre grant opposition on the patents in India which are yet to be granted.

IT firms push for IPR multiple standards for e gov projects

Vivek Seal — 18-Jul-2009

There are a couple of points in the policy that I think needs further debate one is single standard versus multiple standard and the role of intellectual property rights IPR.

Novartis set to appeal move on Glivec

Our Bureau — 18-Jul-2009

Novartis looks set to appeal the recent decision by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board IPAB against its cancer drug Glivec.

Novartis to challenge IPABs patent decision on Glivec

Nina Mehta — 20-Jul-2009

The Indian subsidiary of Swiss drugmaker Novartis will challenge a decision by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board IPAB that said its cancer drug Glivec was not patentable.

Dual SIM dispute highlights flaws in Indias patent process

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 20-Jul-2009

Patent experts expressed surprise that Ipab passed an interim order instead of deciding the patents validity

Earnings Preview: Pfizer preps for Wyeth deal

By LINDA A. JOHNSON — 20-Jul-2009

It also broadened its partnership with an Indian generic drugmaker and started a new one with an Indian maker of injected medicines part of an effort to boost sales of off patent drugs and of products in developing countries.

A Trips plus agenda at WIPO

D Ravi Kanth — 21-Jul-2009

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it is a timely reminder for key actors who are bent on pushing failed agendas.

Its an MNC agenda to prevent competition

Anand Grover — 21-Jul-2009

The recent anti counterfeiting measures worldwide seizures of generic drugs in Holland the proposals in the WHO the moves in the East African Anand Grover Director Lawyers Collective HIV AIDS Unit region and in the Andean community to criminalise patent infringements etc.

18230 patents granted in 2008 09

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 21-Jul-2009

The Indian Patent Office has granted 18230 new patents in 2008 09 Lok Sabha was informed today.

Incidence high in countries where access to medicines is poor

Tapan Ray — 21-Jul-2009

Incidents like recent detention in transit of DRL shipment of the generic version of Losartan in the Netherlands or a consignment of Amoxicillin at the Frankfurt airport on the ground of patent infringement cannot be considered as attempts of MNCs to brand Indian generic drugs as counterfeit medicines.

Cadila loses Mexate trademark case

BS Reporter / Mumbai/ Ahmedabad — 21-Jul-2009

Ahmedabad based Cadila Healthcare Ltd has lost the case in a civil suit which it had filed for its brand Mexate against Wallace Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd.

DSM in talks to supply Lipitor ingredient

Khomba Singh — 23-Jul-2009

Pfizers patent for Lipitor in the US expires in 2011.

Barking up the wrong tree

By René B. Azurin — 23-Jul-2009

For the pharmaceutical companies that own patents to various drugs this meant that they are deemed to have no further legal claims insofar as the resale of their products is concerned.

Sun Pharma arm faces class action suit in US

Khomba Singh and Nina Mehta — 23-Jul-2009

Caraco Pharmaceuticals the US arm of Sun Pharma has been slapped with a class action suit in the United States for allegedly Top 10 Drugmakers by sale not disclosing adequate information about US regulatory action that hurt its shares rendering Indias most valuable drugmaker vulnerable to the prospect of hefty payouts as damages.

Costly drugs prompt exclusivity debate

Andrew Pollack — 23-Jul-2009

For starters whatever the exclusivity period biologic drugs would also continue to be protected from copycats by patents.

Moser Baer Philips settle patent dispute

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 23-Jul-2009

Global technology company Moser Baer has settled a patent and licence dispute with global electronics giant Philips.

Give info on counterfeit drugs get rewarded

Kounteya Sinha — 23-Jul-2009

Informing the government about spurious drugs could soon earn you big money.

Non market strategies making a comeback in West

Dibeyendu Ganguly — 24-Jul-2009

A blood cancer drug called Glivec has been a money spinner for Novartis all over the world except in India where the patent authorities have turned down the Swiss companys application for a product patent on the grounds that it does not offer sufficient improved efficacy over its predecessor.

Teva J&J settle oral contraceptive patent case

By Lewis Krauskopf — 24-Jul-2009

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd said on Friday it settled a patent infringement lawsuit with Johnson & Johnson over Tevas U.S. generic version of J&Js Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo birth control pill.

Ranbaxy net jumps 30 fold to Rs 693 cr

ET Bureau — 25-Jul-2009

FTFs are the main growth drivers for most leading Indian companies that make generic versions of expensive drugs that have gone off patent.

Quality stamp for drugs in works

Sushmi Dey — 27-Jul-2009

A generic drug is not protected by patents and can be manufactured without paying royalty.

How pharma companies can be better long term bets

Kiran Kabtta Somvanshi and Santanu Mishra — 27-Jul-2009

Over dependence on cost competitiveness however comes with its own set of risks increased scrutiny and clamps from drug regulators legal risks in challenging patented drugs and rising pricing pressure as regulated markets overhaul their healthcare systems.

Anna University IPR centre files 53 patents

D Suresh Kumar — 27-Jul-2009

Inventors and innovators including college students who are keen on getting their work patented no longer need to spend time and money undertaking a taxing documentation process or familiarising themselves with legal jargons.

Global drug cos set sights on Indias veterinary market

Nina Mehta — 27-Jul-2009

Animal healthcare in India is no longer an afterthought as global pharmaceutical companies facing loss in revenues due to expiring drug patents are looking for new growth markets.

Sanofi Aventis to acquire Indian vaccine company

PARIS — 27-Jul-2009

It aims to refill a development pipeline that analysts see as woefully light on new drugs to replace those that will soon go off patent and face competition from cheaper copies.

An incubator that takes care of everything

Deepti Chaudhary — 27-Jul-2009

In India i2india has signed patent agreements with institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institute of Science.

IT firms speed up patent filing

Vishwanath Kulkarni,Shamik Paul — 28-Jul-2009

Stepping up efforts to commercialise their intellectual property IP Indian IT services firms have accelerated their patent filing process.

Lunch with BS Malvinder Mohan Singh

Bhupesh Bhandari / New Delhi — 28-Jul-2009

What made you sell I ask Malavs friends say the patent litigations switched him off pharmaceuticals such litigation can be expensive and nerve wracking.

Drug sector fears bias in Tamiflu sourcing

P.T.Jyothi Datta — 28-Jul-2009

India did not grant a patent to innovator Gilead on Oseltamivir.

GITAM varsity plans IPR cell

Our Bureau — 28-Jul-2009

The GITAM Institute of International Business is setting up an intellectual property rights IPR cell with the assistance of the National Research and Development Corporation according to Prof V.K Kumar the Director.

Right and wrong medicines

Business Standard / New Delhi — 29-Jul-2009

One recent step has been to hire more inspectors another to float the idea of a quality mark for generic medicines which have no patent cover.

Sanofi profits soar prepared for Plavix Taxotere patent losses

By Kevin Grogan — 29-Jul-2009

Sanofi Aventis has posted a strong set of figures for the second quarter this morning and says it has laid the groundwork to cope with patent expiries.

India Patent Rights and Wrongs

By ROGER BATE — 29-Jul-2009

India promised to protect intellectual property when it signed up to the World Trade Organizations rules in 2005.

SemBioSys shares soar after insulin patent granted

by Nina Lex — 30-Jul-2009

Shares of SemBioSys Genetics Inc soared as much as 74 percent on Thursday morning after the company announced it had been granted a U.S. patent for commercial production of insulin by using oil from the seeds of safflower plants.

Takeda swings back to profit keeps forecast

By Yumiko Nishitani — 31-Jul-2009

Takeda launched Kapidex ahead of the patent expiration in November for its predecessor drug Prevacid in the United States but analysts expect competition to keep Kapidex from compensating fully for a likely drop in Prevacid sales.

$70 bn worth drugs to go off patent benefiting India Report

PTI — 02-Aug-2009

The Indian drug industry would make huge gains as over $70 billion worth of drugs are expected to go off patent in the US the worlds largest pharma market in the next three years according to a report.

The French connection

BV Mahalakshmi, Sudhir Chowdhary — 3-Aug-2009

The fact that Shantha Biotech was able to attract Sanofi with its intellectual property and good manufacturing facilities is a sign of the maturity of the Indian vaccine industry.

Copycat Indian drug cos turn MNC partners

Khomba Singh — 3-Aug-2009

This seems to be the strategy of multinational pharmaceutical companies vis a vis the highly Top 10 Drugmakers by sales successful Indian drug industry that makes a living out of copying off patent blockbuster drugs.

Indias Sun Pharma MedImmune settle on ethyol

by Bharghavi Nagaraju — 3-Aug-2009

Indias Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd said on Monday it has settled a patent dispute with AstraZenecas MedImmune unit for generic version of Ethyol resolving all litigation between them.

India set to sign pharma export deal with Nigeria

Sushmi Dey & Gireesh Chandra Prasad — 3-Aug-2009

The government is set to sign an exhaustive deal with Nigeria to boost pharmaceutical exports to its eighth largest global consumer where the reputation of Indian drugs was recently dented by fake drugs from China bearing Made in India labels.

Daiichi wins court battle against Mylan Matrix

Press Trust of India / Tokyo/ New Delhi — 03-Aug-2009

Japanese drug major Daiichi Sankyo said today a US Court has ruled in its favour in a patent litigation related to the anti hypertensive drug Benicar against Mylan Inc and its Indian subsidiary Matrix Laboratories.

A patent case for invention

P. V. INDIRESAN — 3-Aug-2009

India needs improved patent laws that will protect genuine inventors better and minimise disputes on trivial grounds.

India grants 3500 pharma patents in three yrs

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 03-Aug-2009

The Indian Patent Office has granted 3506 patents relating to pharmaceutical innovations over the last three years the government said today.

Combating spurious drugs

Pharmaceutical — 4-Aug-2009

The whistle blower scheme outlined by the Union Health Minister is a workable idea but only a consistent multi level approach can snuff out spurious drug makers.

Roche prepares to defend local patent for Valcyte

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 04-Aug-2009

Firm facing at least five post grant oppositions at Chennai patent office it has cut price of the drug by 35%

India may move WTO to protest drug seizures

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 4-Aug-2009

The government is planning to approach the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organization against frequent seizure of Indian medicines at various European ports.

Interpol scans fake drugs with Made in India label

PTI,New Delhi — 04-Aug-2009

Recently fake drugs carrying the Made in India label were seized in Nigeria but were allegedly manufactured in China.

MNCs eye Indian pharma

ET Bureau — 5-Aug-2009

Till a few years ago it was believed Indian pharma companies highly profitable generic business model they were able to corner a large share of market for drugs going off patent and occasionally challenged patents through Para IV filings in the US would allow them to build financial muscle.

A singular victory for open innovation

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 5-Aug-2009

At the conference sponsored by the World Intellectual Property Organisation on July 13 and 14 he would launch his Initiative for Open Innovation globally to promote transparency in the patent system a disruptive democratising cyber infrastructure to make it possible to turn the patent system into a transparent fixable part of society as he called it in his letter.

Nigerian drug regulator to open Indian offices

ET Bureau — 05-Aug-2009

Reacting to the seizure of fake Chinese drugs carrying a made in India tag the Nigerian drug regulator has decided to set up its offices in India.

US exclusivity law may hit Indian biotech cos

Nina Mehta — 6-Aug-2009

These companies will have to choose their products carefully and focus on those products which are already off patent or scheduled to go off patent soon said Sanjay Singh associate director KPMG.

India may get its first novel drug by 2014

Priyanka Golikeri — 6-Aug-2009

From the last few years almost every Indian company worth its name is talking of having novel molecules new chemicals entities and a few new biological entities in its kitty.

Lupin to launch more branded generics in US

Khomba Singh — 6-Aug-2009

Branded generics are rip off versions of off patent drugs but since they incorporate added advantages such as lower dosages the US drug regulator allows them to be sold under a brand.

Ailing drugmakers may seek foreign cure

By Pratish Narayanan — 6-Aug-2009

Global heavyweight Pfizer is seen as the most likely suitor of Indian rivals as it looks to replace revenue lost from the lapse of key patents while Merck and Sanofi Aventis may also seek to shake hands with Indian producers analysts said.

BR Films pays up Rs1 crore in copycat case

Anshika Misra, Mumbai — 6-Aug-2009

Bollywood will now think twice before getting inspired by Hollywood again. BR Films,which was dragged to court by Twentieth Century Fox for alleged plagiarism, on Wednesday agreed to pay a settlement amount of $200,000 (a little less than Rs1 crore)to the American studio.

Roche will only help itself by making drugs affordable

Pillman — 7-Aug-2009

In a recent judgment by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board on Novartis Glivec the need to make the drug affordable was emphasised.

GSK to up output of inhaler drug

Nina Mehta — 7-Aug-2009

GSK and Biota which invented the drug and holds the patent till the end of 2014 are not the only ones who have been approached to supply the drug.

Pfizer agrees to cut price of TB drug

By Andrew Jack in London — 7-Aug-2009

Mylan will reduce the price of four HIV drugs that are off patent atazanavir ritonavir tenofovir and lamivudine to $475 a year falling to $425 a year from 2010 which is 28 per cent less than current prices.

US court to hear Glenmarks patent dispute on Aug 19

ET Bureau — 7-Aug-2009

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals patent challenge against Schering Ploughs cholesterol lowering drug Zetia will come up for hearing in the US district court of New Jersey on August 19.

Oppn to officials taking up plum posts in WTO WIPO

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 8-Aug-2009

Civil society groups have complained against the practice of senior commerce ministry officials taking up plum posts with international agencies such as the World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organisation with whom they have been involved in direct negotiations on issues of national interest.

HC bans MNS Pharma from lipid control drug sale

Khomba Singh — 8-Aug-2009

Rosuva is a registered trademark of Ranbaxy.

Old medicine new patents

Gaurav Choudhury — 08-Aug-2009

Slowly but surely India Inc is waking up to the virtues of traditional wisdom.

Low costs a draw for foreign drug makers

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 09-Aug-2009

Low costs high technical capabilities and a skilled work force are making India an attractive destination for research and contract manufacturing of drugs.

Human clinical trials for stem cell research on cards

Vishal Dutta — 10-Aug-2009

StemCyte has patented the plasma depletion technology that helps in collecting higher volume of stem cells and better cell counts resulting in successful therapeutic applications for over 70 diseases.

GI tags sought for veena lock

Our Correspondent — 10-Aug-2009

The Tamil Nadu State Council has taken steps to get Geographical Indication Tags of Thanjavur Veena and Dindigul Lock establishing their place of origin.

Indian companies may pitch in with generic version of Tamiflu

Khomba Singh & Sushmi Dey — 10-Aug-2009

US Patent and Trademark Office Issues Key Patent For OncoGenexs OGX 011

By Staff Reporter — 10-Aug-2009

US Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent Number 7569551 entitled Chemo and Radiation sensitization of Cancer by Antisense TRPM 2 Oligodeoxynucleotides on the method of using OncoGenexs OGX 011 to treat certain cancers.

Azad says wont wait for desi swine flu vaccine will import

Kounteya Sinha — 11-Aug-2009

At present only one US based company Biosystem has the patent of the real time PCR kits for detection of H1N1 being used globally.

India warned on moving WTO over drug seizures

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 11-Aug-2009

Even as India considers the European Union directive that allows seizure of goods in transit by its member countries as violative of the World Trade Organizations TRIPS trade related aspects of intellectual property rights agreement legal experts caution against the central governments plans to approach the dispute settlement body of WTO.

HC returns appeal on dual SIM card case

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 11-Aug-2009

The Madras high court on Friday returned an appeal filed by Madurai Tamil Nadu based electronics engineer S. Ramkumar to the Customs Appellate Tribunal in a case related to his patent on dual SIM card mobile phones.

immatics gets European patent for IMA901 product & US patent for MUC 1 peptide

Martinsried, Munich — 11-Aug-2009

immatics biotechnologies GmbH has obtained European patent protection for the composition of matter for its drug candidate IMA901.

Swiss firm moves apex court against Cipla

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 11-Aug-2009

Swiss drug maker F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd has petitioned the Supreme Court against a Delhi high court order in a patent violation lawsuit regarding its cancer drug Tarceva with Indian pharma firm Cipla Ltd.

Schering settles final Clarinex patent litigation

LOS ANGELES — 11-Aug-2009

Drugmaker Schering Plough Corp SGP.N said on Tuesday it settled patent litigation with Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd related to generic versions of its allergy medication Clarinex.

Strides Arcolab ready to supply Swine Flu drug

PTI — 11-Aug-2009

Oseltamivir Capsules are the generic version of Roches patented drug Tamiflu.

Novartis hits Astellas with transplant drug generic

Yumiko Nishitani — 11-Aug-2009

Astellas lost U.S. patent protection for Prograf in April 2008 but until now has not faced any generic competition.

China admits its companies involvement in fake drugs case

PTI — 11-Aug-2009

China has admitted that its pharmaceutical companies were involved in shipping fake drugs labeled Made In India to Nigeria.

Ranbaxy gets USFDA nod for Sumatriptan Succinate Tablets

Agencies — 11-Aug-2009

The office of generic drugs USFDA has determined that the Ranbaxy formulations to be bio equivalence and have same therapeutic effect as that of GlaxoSmithKlines patented drug Imitrex Ranbaxy said.

Sun Pharma gets US nod for two generic drugs

REUTERS — 12-Aug-2009

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has got the US Food and Drug Administrations approval to launch its generic version of GlaxoSmithKlines Imitrex tablets to treat migraine the Indian drugmaker said.

India emerging global pharma outsourcing hub Study

Our Bureau — 12-Aug-2009

Of the total global outsourcing custom manufacturing phase IIb to the off patent stage including intermediates API and formulations contributes almost 65 per cent of the $51 billion market in 2008.

Swine Flu H1N1- Prevention & Treatment

12-Aug-2009

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against novel H1N1 virus. However, a novel H1N1 vaccine is currently in production and may be ready for the public in the fall. As always, a vaccine will be available to protect against seasonal influenza. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.

Courtesy: Jimmy George

Information on Swine Flu - II

12-Aug-2009

Important Information on Swine Flu H1N1.

Courtesy: Mr. Amit Didwania, Drishya Holidays Pvt. Ltd.

Information on Swine Flu - I

12-Aug-2009

Government Authorized Hospitals For Treatment Of Swine Flu

Courtesy: Mr. Amit Didwania, Drishya Holidays Pvt. Ltd.

Stricter law on fake drugs now in force

Radhieka Pandeya — 13-Aug-2009

India finally has a law to combat the menace of fake and adulterated drugs and not all pharma companies are happy with it.

IDMA urges law makers to initiate measures to save Indian generic drugs

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 13-Aug-2009

The products had no Patent or Trade Mark problem either in India origin country or the destination country.

Orchid settles Schering lawsuit

Our Bureau — 13-Aug-2009

Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals has reached an out of court settlement with the US based Schering Plough Corporation on a 2006 patent lawsuit regarding allergy medicines Clarinex and Clarinex Reditabs.

Sun Pharmas US arm reliant on generic launches

Manas Chakravarty and Mobis Philipose — 13-Aug-2009

In the previous year two such Para IV filings for abbreviated new drug applications which challenge an existing patent in order to launch a slightly different generic version of the same product with one off revenue potential accounting for 57% of revenues.

Macro gain for ASEAN micro pain for India

G. Srinivasan — 14-Aug-2009

Effectively this implies that India has less than 50 60 items in its negative list for each ASEAN country a patent asymmetric pact from negotiation angle leaving legions of domestic industries vulnerable to dumping and material injury.

Allow retail sale of drug say domestic pharma players

P B Jayakumar & Joe C Mathew / Mumbai & New Delhi — 14-Aug-2009

The central governments decision to continue controlling supply of the swine flu drug oseltamivir will help the drug innovator Swiss multinational Hoffmann La Roche and its Indian licencee Hetero Drugs maintain their effective monopoly in the country even as the drug lacks patent protection in India fear domestic industry circles.

Remedy for a malady

By Andrew Jack — 14-Aug-2009

He cites as symptomatic the large scale takeovers this year of Wyeth by Pfizer and Schering Plough by Merck which he argues were primarily designed to defer patent expiries and cut costs rather than provide a solution to falling research productivity.

Novartis reportedly sues GlaxoSmithKline over patent

By Polya Lesova — 16-Aug-2009

Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG has filed a legal action against rival GlaxoSmithKline over a vaccine patent according to a media report Sunday.

Pharma patents Mashelkar report gets Centre approval

Amitabh Sinha — 16-Aug-2009

Mashelkar as head of a Technical Expert Group that had four other members had been asked by the government in 2005 to examine whether the grant of patents for pharmaceutical substances could be limited only to new chemical entities and new medical entities involving one or more inventive steps or they could be granted to incremental innovations on existing drugs as well.

Big pharma companies join outsourcing queue

PB Jayakumar / Mumbai — 17-Aug-2009

Diminishing numbers of new drugs as against existing drugs going off patent high research and development costs and pressure to reduce healthcare costs are forcing Big Pharma to rope in strategic partners to contain manufacturing and drug development expenses.

Maker of fake drugs has fled to Hong Kong

S Balakrishnan — 17-Aug-2009

Chairman and MD of Phikon Biotech Pvt Ltd D J Vaidya who is allegedly involved in the manufacture of fake drugs for heart ailments and cancer has fled to Hong Kong.

Patently right

The Indian Express ,Mashelkar report — 17-Aug-2009

Should patents be granted to incremental changes on existing drugs not just to completely new medical and chemical entities Yes said the government appointed Mashelkar Committee report and yes says the Centre by accepting the reports findings.

Indian generics profit from Glaxo patent expiry

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 18-Aug-2009

GlaxoSmithKline Plcs anti migraine drug brand Imitrex is turning out to be a good revenue earner for Indian generic companies as the US Food and Drug Administration has given almost half of the final approvals for the reverse engineered or generic versions of the drug made by Indian pharmaceutical companies following its patent expiry.

Govt wont tweak drug patent rules

Khomba Singh & Sushmi Dey — 18-Aug-2009

The commerce ministrys decision to accept the Mashelkar committees revised report that recommends not to restrict patenting to new drugs has come in for strong criticism from health activists and some generic drugmakers even as patent experts supported the move thats in line with international norms.

Govt accepts panel report against narrowing of Indian patent law

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 18-Aug-2009

The central government has accepted the recommendations of an expert committee headed by former Council of Scientific and Industrial Research chief R A Mashelkar on patent laws.

We have filed a world patent for a new energy saving technology

Business Standard / New Delhi — 18-Aug-2009

Deepak Pahwa Managing Director of Pahwa Enterprises Indias largest private sector SME in the HVAC&R heating ventilation air conditioning and refrigeration industry tells Business Standard that some of his key customers are pharma units and since dehumidification machines are at the heart of pharma units his company was unaffected by the downturn.

Major win for Indian pharma cos as HC dismisses Bayer petition

ET Bureau — 18-Aug-2009

In a major win for Indian pharmaceutical companies the Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed German drug major Bayer Healthcares attempt to stop Drug Controller General of India from giving marketing approval to Indian company Cipla for the generic version of Bayers patented kidney cancer drug Nexavar.

Lilly shares fall after court invalidates patent

by Toni Clarke — 18-Aug-2009

Shares of Eli Lilly & Co fell 1.4 percent in premarket trading on Tuesday after a court invalidated a key patent governing its cancer drug Gemzar.

Daiichi Sankyo Lupin in talks for marketing tie up

Radhieka Pandeya — 19-Aug-2009

Today MNCs are looking at how they can create opportunities after patent expiry and joining hands with generic companies.

Microsofts Patent Dust Ups

Aaron Ricadela — 19-Aug-2009

For the past half dozen years Microsoft has been busily getting its patent house in order.

Courts being used to stifle generic challengers

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 19-Aug-2009

Patent fights are becoming more difficult for domestic pharmaceutical companies as multinational drug giants which obtain patent protection for medicines that are vulnerable to post grant oppositions are increasingly approaching Indian courts to stall competition from low cost local manufacturers.

Govt in talks with Roche for cheaper Tamiflu

Soma Das — 19-Aug-2009

Last month Roche the patent holder of Tamiflu not in India started a new initiative to supply the anti viral drug to select developing countries at a reduced cost of $2.80 and $8.50 in consultation with the WHO.

Glenmark faces patent infringement case in US

Press Trust Of India / Mumbai — 19-Aug-2009

Drug maker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said it was facing a lawsuit in a US District Court for a patent infringement case of an anti malaria product.

Bayers attempt to stop Cipla drug sale fails

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 19-Aug-2009

Court rejects bid to introduce a linkage between regulatory approval of a medicine and its patent status

Big Pharma must mend its ways to succeed in India

Pillman — 20-Aug-2009

Close on the heels of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board halting Novartis Glivec patent application and linking it to threatening public disorder on account of its high prices, the Delhi High Court has dealt a body blow to German drug maker Bayers ambitions to monopolise the Indian market with its kidney cancer drug Nexavar.

M&M wins disputed internet site case at WIPO

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi — 20-Aug-2009

Mahindra & Mahindra has won a cybersquatting case at the World Intellectual Property Organisation against a US based person who was using the name Mahindra in an internet domain.

Incremental innovations

ET Bureau — 20-Aug-2009

It is hard to quibble with the Mashelkar Committees report on patenting of pharmaceutical substances for its main theme that it is wrong to deny patents to incremental innovations if they have significantly better safety and efficacy standards over the known molecule.

Sun wins US court ruling in Eli Lilly patent challenge

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 20-Aug-2009

Clears way for low cost cancer drug launch in 2010.

Sun Pharma wins Gemzar patent case

NewsWire18 — 20-Aug-2009

The US district court for the eastern district of Michigan delivered a partial summary judgement on Monday invalidating Eli Lillys patent for method of use for Gemzar.

Bayer beaten in Indian court over patent law

By Kevin Grogan — 20-Aug-2009

Bayer has suffered a setback after a court in India dismissed the German firms attempt to prevent the countrys regulator from approving a generic version of its kidney and liver cancer drug Nexavar that is being prepared by Cipla.

Mashelkar report runs into fresh controversy

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 21-Aug-2009

Patent expert says his views were misinterpreted to support conclusion that Indias patent laws could not be tightened.

Merck wins Singulair patent infringement suit against Teva

Whitehouse Station, New Jersey — 21-Aug-2009

Merck & Co Inc announced that the US District Court for the District of New Jersey has ruled in Mercks favour in a patent infringement suit against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.

Drug makers face penalty for overcharging

Sushmi Dey — 21-Aug-2009

Drug manufacturing companies such as Cipla Ranbaxy Johnson & Johnson and Dr Reddys Laboratories may have to pay over Rs 2038 crore to the government for overcharging consumers on price controlled medicines.

Govt plans retail clamp on Ciplas Tamiflu substitute

Joe C Mathew & Pb Jayakumar / New Delhi — 22-Aug-2009

Relenza a pre 1995 molecule lacks patent protection in India and legally Cipla can manufacture and sell the drug.

Hetero bags deal for 10 m Tamiflu

Khomba Singh — 22-Aug-2009

Roches application seeking patent for Tamiflu in India was rejected in March allowing Indian companies to market the generic versions in India and other countries where Roche does not hold the patent.

We must look to avoid grant of frivolous patents at all costs

Priyanka Golikeri — 22-Aug-2009

With the government accepting the Mashelkar Committee Report on pharmaceutical patents the stage is now set for a new battle over patents and public health.

North Indian pharma Focusing on R&D and tie ups to meet challenging conditions

Sanjay Pingle, Mumbai — 24-Aug-2009

It has set up five R&D centers and got 24 product patents valid in more than 60 countries worldwide.

Dump the Mashelkar report

Business Standard / New Delhi — 24-Aug-2009

Even as the government accepts the revised report of the technical expert group on patent law issues headed by RA Mashelkar a key conclusion of the group has run into fresh controversy over the reasoning on which it is based.

India Infoline maintains Reduce rating on Sun Pharma

ET Bureau — 24-Aug-2009

The company received US FDA approval for Eloxatin only to be suspended soon after on account of continuing patent litigation.

The R&D debacle

Ram Prasad Sahu / Mumbai — 24-Aug-2009

One of the four is the anti malarial drug Malarone on which the company is facing a patent infringement suit by Smithkline Beecham.

Stem cell therapy market picking up as 4 new firms look to expand

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 24-Aug-2009

The recent government decision to allow patenting of micro organisms and its processes and increased awareness about cord blood cell banking are giving a boost to the new therapy.

Verva licenses FGFR intellectual property rights to Isis Pharma to treat obesity & other diseases

Geelong, Australia — 24-Aug-2009

Verva Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc announced the completion of an agreement providing Isis an exclusive license to Vervas intellectual property rights targeting the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor with antisense technology for the treatment of diseases including obesity and other metabolic disorders.

Govt should not succumb to the WIPO pressure

Dr.Y.K.Hamied — 25-Aug-2009

I strongly subscribe to the view that the ongoing reform of the Patent Cooperation Treaty at the behest of WIPO is an attempt to undermine the sovereign rights of the Indian government to make laws to suit its domestic needs.

The treaty is a cornerstone of multilateral cooperation

Claus Matthes — 25-Aug-2009

Recently articles have surfaced in the Indian press about international efforts to reform the Patent Cooperation Treaty an agreement that binds 141 countries in a pact that facilitates the process of seeking protection for an invention in multiple countries.

Concerns of WIPOs members and its customers differ

D G Shah — 25-Aug-2009

WIPO like other UN organisations is a member driven organisation.

Sanofi sues Sun Pharma over Taxotere generic

Bloomberg — 26-Aug-2009

Sun is pursuing approval from the US FDA to market two dosage forms of the drug before the patents expire in 2012 according to the complaint filed by Sanofi Aventis SA.

US pharma association disapproves Customs seizure of generics

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 26-Aug-2009

The response comes after 17 consignments of genuine generic medicines from India were recently seized at various European ports alleging intellectual property violations.

Stringent IP enforcement will limit access to generic drugs

fe Bureaus — 26-Aug-2009

Civil society organisations led by Centre for Trade and Development have sent a strong missive to the Confederation of Indian Industry urging it to be careful about associating with multinational corporations and developed countries that are keen to push more stringent intellectual property enforcement laws in India .

Biocon mulls listing of two of its arms by next yr

Press Trust of India / Chennai — 26-Aug-2009

Biocons patent portfolio totals close to 942 applications worldwide with over 182 granted patents.

Indian patent laws not conducive to domestic R&D OPPI

Agencies — 26-Aug-2009

The countrys pharmaceutical industry today said the present patent laws do not value incremental innovations and are not conducive to the research and development activities of domestic firms.

Drug Biotech Research Spending Hangs Tough

By Emily Thornton and Frederick Jespersen — 27-Aug-2009

With billions of dollars worth of branded drugs losing their patent protection the pharmaceutical industry is under pressure to boost its pipeline of innovative new drugs.

Incremental pharma innovation in patent regime to benefit local firms

fe Bureaus — 27-Aug-2009

Expanding the scope of Indias current patent regime to include incremental pharma innovation would benefit the domestic pharma players according to a study commissioned by the US India Business Council which was released on Wednesday.

Even European Union doesnt link regulatory approval for generics to innovator patent

Priyanka Golikeri — 27-Aug-2009

German healthcare giant Bayer is determined to introduce in India a system that can prevent early entry of low cost generics despite the Delhi High Court quashing its plea to link regulatory approval to last week saying the company was trying to tweak public policy.

Patent regime poses new challenges for health Minister

IANS — 27-Aug-2009

Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi Thursday called for taking a serious look at the intellectual property rights regime so that Indian patients are not adversely affected.

GSK to launch promecta in India by 2009 end

Agencies — 27-Aug-2009

Glaxo SmithKline Pharmaceutical said it is looking at launching its patented medicine promecta used in treatment of depleted platelet count in India by this year end or early next year.

Encouraging drug innovation

Shamnad Basheer — 28-Aug-2009

The Mashelkar committee report on drug patent law may have stirred controversy but it sets the right tone

Cipla gets relief as SC rejects Roche plea

ET Bureau — 29-Aug-2009

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Swiss drugmaker Roches petition to stop Indian firm Cipla from selling the generic version of its cancer drug Tarceva to ensure that Indians have access to the medicine at a lower cost till the Delhi High Court decides on Ciplas patent challenge plea.

Sharma to take up drug seizures issue with EU commissioner

Asit Ranjan Mishra and Radhieka Pandeya — 29-Aug-2009

According to European Commission laws if a consignment of drugs is not patented either in the country of origin or its final destination it could be seized.

Novartis moves SC in Glivec patent case

ET Bureau — 29-Aug-2009

Swiss major Novartis AG has moved the Supreme Court challenging Intellectual Property Appellate Board decision to reject its patent application of blood cancer drug Glivec in India.

Cipla calls off marketing alliance with Avesthagen

Nina Mehta — 29-Aug-2009

Cipla has terminated its marketing agreement with Avesthagen and is looking at selling its 5.8% stake in the Bangalore based company.

Govt curbs sale of flu drug Zanamivir

Khomba Singh — 29-Aug-2009

The government is set to put Zanamivir the only swine flu drug that is freely available in the market currently under restricted sale category.

Tata Sons wins trademark case against MakeMyTrip

Shubhra Tandon — 30-Aug-2009

Tata Sons recently won a trademark case at the World Intellectual Property Organisation against New Delhi based travel portal MakeMyTrip for the use of the word TATA in the latters sister Web site okaytatabyebye.com an online networking forum for the travel community.

Lack of clarity in drugs Act may hit generic companies

Nina Mehta — 31-Aug-2009

Ambiguity in the amended Drugs and Cosmetics Act over the definition of the terms adulterated and spurious drugs could affect Indian generic drug players.

Insurance firm told to pay up

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 31-Aug-2009

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear Swiss drug maker Novartis AGs plea against denial of patent for its blood cancer drug Glivec in its beta crystal form.

DRL seeks USFDA help to make cancer drug clone

Sai Deepika Amirapu — 31-Aug-2009

Dr Reddys Laboratories Indias second largest drug maker by sales has approached the US Food and Drug Administration to overcome impediments in making the generic version of Revlimid an expensive drug used to treat blood cancer.

GSK plans to launch H1N1 drug in India

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi — 31-Aug-2009

UK based drug maker GlaxoSmithKline is in talks with the Indian government for introducing its patented drug Relenza which is used for the treatment of Influenza A H1N1.

Big multinationals dumping excess vendor baggage

Shelley Singh — 31-Aug-2009

Companies doing R&D remotely also try to limit the number of third party vendors to protect intellectual property and any infringements of patents.

Britannia settles Tiger brand tangle with US firm

IANS — 31-Aug-2009

The Nusli Wadia led Britannia was embroiled in a bitter intellectual property right violation litigation with its partner Groupe Danone after the Indian company charged the French dairy major with using its Tiger trademark a key intellectual property in the overseas market without prior consent.

SC to hear Novartis case next week

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 31-Aug-2009

The Supreme Court will hear Swiss drug maker Novartis AGs plea against denial of patent for its blood cancer drug Glivec next week.

Swiss NGO flays Novartis Glivec appeal

Priyanka Golikeri — 01-Sep-2009

A Switzerland based NGO has come out strongly against Swiss pharma giant Novartis appeal to the Supreme Court last week over the rejection of its patent for cancer drug Glivec.

Britannia to sharpen focus on global biz

BS Reporter / Kolkata — 01-Sep-2009

Biscuits major Britannia Industries plans to focus on strengthening its international business and expand its brand presence in the aftermath of its settlement with Danone on the intellectual property rights issue over the Tiger brand.

Novartis Glivec case to be heard by another Bench

Our Bureau — 01-Sep-2009

Swiss drug maker Novartis challenge in the Supreme Court on being denied a patent for its cancer drug Glivec will now be re assigned to another Bench by the Chief Justice of India.

Bayer CropScience Wins Patent Litigation

By Staff Reporter — 01-Sep-2009

Under the settlement Tian Rong and Hua Dong to cease the infringing acts.

India refuses patent protection for AIDS drug of US company

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 2-Sep-2009

More appeals pending domestic manufacturing some way off.

Setting aside Bayers spurious claims

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 2-Sep-2009

Two weeks ago Justice S Ravindra Bhat of the Delhi High Court dismissed with costs the writ petition filed by the German pharmaceuticals giant Bayer Corporation against the Union of India the Drug Controller General of India and Cipla.

Govt may move WTO on EU drug seizures

Priyanka Golikeri — 3-Sep-2009

The government plans to file a complaint to the World Trade Organisation against seizures of its legitimate low cost generic drugs by the European Union according to people in the know.

NGO asks govt to further amend Patent Act to avoid frivolous patent filings

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 03-Sep-2009

The National Working Group on Patent Law an NGO working on patent issues in the country has asked the government to further amend the Amended Patent Act 1970 to avoid frivolous and questionable patent claims being filed by the industry and are being granted by the Patent Offices.

HC asks DGCI to grant licence to Ciplas anti cancer drug

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 04-Sep-2009

The Delhi High Court today directed the drug regulator of the country to go ahead with the process of granting a licence to Cipla for producing a generic version of the anti cancer medication Nexavar against which global drug maker Bayer Corp is fighting a legal battle.

Protecting the Patent System for Entrepreneurs

By Scott A. Shane — 04-Sep-2009

Recently a number of companies from the information technology and financial services sectors have been pushing Congress to change the patent system.

India rejects patent claims on two HIV AIDS drugs

R. Prasad — 04-Sep-2009

The Indian Patent Office has rejected applications from two US pharmaceutical companies on grounds of evergreening raising hopes of a further lowering of prices of two life saving drugs used by HIV AIDS patients in the country.

Revamping legal mechanism alone cant stop spurious drug makers

Pillman — 4-Sep-2009

Excessive pressure from global agencies pushed India to make significant changes in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act that will now subject perpetrators of spurious drugs to harsher punishments.

Ayurvedic remedies gain ground in India

Saikat Chatterjee and Arush Chopra / Bloomberg — 4-Sep-2009

Residents have switched to traditional Ayurvedic healing used for hundreds of years to boost immunity as well as unproven remedies being sold to take advantage of the outbreak

Process Ciplas licence for Soranib HC

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi — 5-Sep-2009

The Delhi High Court today directed the Drug Controller General of India to process the licence application of Cipla for production and sale of the generic version of global pharma major Bayer Corporations liver and kidney cancer drug Nexavar.

Toyota patent trade case

Bloomberg / Washington — 5-Sep-2009

Toyota Motor Corp the world’ biggest seller of autos powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity faces a patent infringement claim that may result in a US import ban on its Prius and other hybrid models.

Bayers bid to stay Cipla cancer drug foiled next hearing on Oct 6

ET Bureau — 5-Sep-2009

Germanys largest drug maker Bayer failed to get a court stay on Cipla from seeking permission to launch the European companys copycat of cancer treating drug Nexavar in India.

Process Ciplas licence for Soranib HC

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi — 5-Sep-2009

EU will take steps to resolve drug seizure cases says Ashton

ET Bureau — 06-Sep-2009

The EU has assured India that it will take steps to resolve the issue related to the recent cases of life saving generic or off patent medicines exported from India to other countries being seized at European ports.

IT dept takes drug companies to court

Khushboo Narayan and C.H. Unnikrishnan — 7-Sep-2009

Barring the top 300 pharma firms most of the 15000 drug units operating in India are engaged in contract manufacturing.

Pfizer India arm to launch 2 3 generic drugs by Dec

MUMBAI (Reuters) — 07-Sep-2009

Drug maker Pfizer Ltd plans to launch two or three generic drugs in India by December as part of its efforts to widen its portfolio and market share its managing director said late on Friday.

Innovation can benefit Indian drug industry

ENS Economic Bureau — 07-Sep-2009

Extending patent protection to incremental pharmaceutical innovation should encourage Indian pharmaceutical companies to expand further their investment in innovation and ultimately become major sources of new products for both the Indian and global markets.

U.S. court backs Synthes in U.S. patent case

by Lisa Jucca — 07-Sep-2009

Switzerland based medical device maker Synthes Inc has won a key ruling in an ongoing U.S. patent case against U.S. competitor Medtronic the Swiss company said on Monday.

Venus Remedies gets Indian patent for Potentox

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 08-Sep-2009

Venus Remedies a mid cap Rs 260 crore plus Chandigarh based pharma company has received first ever injectable FDC product patent for Potentox a research product of the company from the Indian Patent Office Government of India.

3 provisions helped India cull frivolous patents study

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 8-Sep-2009

Three patent provisions that have come under flak from foreign companies and governments for not being compliant with global intellecutual property regimes have actually helped India weed out frivolous patents since 2005 when the country moved to a new patent regime.

McDonalds loses trademark fight against McCurry

The Associated Press — 8-Sep-2009

U.S. fast food giant McDonalds lost an eight year trademark battle to prevent local restaurant McCurry from using the Mc prefix in a precedent setting judgment by Malaysias highest court.

Cipla to produce biotech drugs

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 8-Sep-2009

Cipla the countrys second largest drug company will foray into the production of biotechnology medicines soon.

DCGI asks states to effect fake drug norms

Sushmi Dey — 8-Sep-2009

The recent amendments in the Drugs & Cosmetics Act prescribes stricter punishment for companies guilty of manufacturing adulterated or spurious drugs.

Suven gets milestone payment from Eli Lilly

KV Ramana — 8-Sep-2009

Once it is launched we will keep getting the royalty till the drug is covered by the patent he said.

India patent rejections welcomed by HIV AIDS groups

By Bappa Majumdar — 09-Sep-2009

Indias rejection of patent applications on two life saving HIV AIDS drugs last week has been welcomed by health officials who say it will ensure wider access to the medicines.

Marico Agro Tech in trademark tussle

T Knight Ridder/Tribune — 09-Sep-2009

Marico India the maker of cooking oils Saffola and Sweekar has sued Agro Tech Foods an affiliate of American foods giant ConAgra Foods over what it believes is trademark violation by the latter.

Pfizer plans major push into generics

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 11-Sep-2009

Pfizer Ltd the Indian subsidiary of the worlds largest drug maker Pfizer Inc. is making an aggressive play in the Indian generics or off patent drugs market.

Mid cap pharma firms focus on LatAm market

Nina Mehta — 11-Sep-2009

Indian companies faced with increased competition in developed markets and stiff standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration are looking to markets where rules are less stringent as governments focus on affordability of healthcare rather than defending patents on billions of dollars of drugs.

SC notices to Centre pharma companies on Novartis petition

PTI — 11-Sep-2009

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre pharma major Cipla Ranbaxy Lab Hetero Drugs Natco Pharma and others on a pettion filed by Swiss firm Novartis AG challenging the denial of patent for its blood cancer drug Glivec in beta crystal form.

IPA calls for amendment to D&C Act to exclude IPR issues from Sec 17

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 12-Sep-2009

In a recent meeting jointly held by different departments including health pharma and commerce on the issue the IPA has suggested that the terms of counterfeit and spurious be defined separately and the IPR related issues e.g misbranded should be removed from Section 17 of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act.

Pfizer Indias new strategy for emerging markets

Manas Chakravarty and Ravi Ananthanarayan — 12-Sep-2009

Profitability improvements would come from a higher share of products that have patent protection.

IPRS issues notices to hotels mall for copyright violation

BS Reporter / Mumbai/ Ahmedabad — 12-Sep-2009

We have sent legal notices to the hotels and the mall for violating copyright under Section 33 of the Copyright Act 1957.

SC issues notices in Novartis patent case

Manish Ranjan — 12-Sep-2009

The apex court sought replies from the commerce ministry the comptroller general of patents the Cancer Patient Aid Association and the four pharma firms that state their objections on why the patent should not be granted to Novartis.

Biocon joins hands with US co Amylin for diabetes drug

ET Now — 12-Sep-2009

Even as Amylin will own the intellectual property rights to the molecule and phybrid technology Biocon will hold the IP for manufacturing.

Fake drugs WHO body rejects MNC argument

Rupali Mukherjee — 12-Sep-2009

The World Health Organisation regional committee has rejected the counterfeit drugs agenda propagated by developed countries and pharma MNCs which is already threatening the entry of legitimate generics exported from India.

Lupin Novartis end patent row for Lotrel

Khomba Singh, — 12-Sep-2009

Mumbai based pharma firm Lupin has reached an out of court settlement with Swiss pharma major Novartis for the latters hypertension drug sold under the brand name Lotrel which will allow the Indian firm to launch the generic version of the drug ahead of its patent expiry in 2017 and get a one time revenue upside said a person familiar with the development.

Suven gets two US patents for neurodegenerative disorder drugs

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 14-Sep-2009

Suven Life Sciences Ltd announced that the US Patent Office has issued two Patents US 7507835 and US 7388024 corresponding to two New Chemical Entities for the treatment of disorders associated with Neurodegenerative diseases and these Patents are valid until 2022 & 2024 respectively.

WHO SEARO rejects counterfeit agenda of pharma MNCs

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 15-Sep-2009

The meeting noted that the term and definition of counterfeit relates to infringement of intellectual property rights and should not be equated with substandard medical products.

Major growth will come from generics business

C.R. Sukumar — 15-Sep-2009

Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltds vice chairman and chief executive G.V. Prasad shares the drug makers future ambitions.

Patent expiry to open huge opportunity for Indian pharma

PTI — 15-Sep-2009

Patent expiry will be a major avenue of growth for the Indian pharmaceutical industry as products worth $235 billion are going off patent within horizon of five years from 2009 to 2014 a top pharma company official said here today.

Mega deals boost pharma in crisis

Rupali Mukherjee — 15-Sep-2009

With the so called patent cliff and stagnating pipelines of big pharma companies are trying to augment their portfolios and revenues like Pfizer gets the biotech and OTC business of Wyeth to augment revenues.

DRL faces patent suit in US over allergy generic

ET Bureau — 15-Sep-2009

NYSE listed Dr Reddys Laboratories is embroiled in a fresh patent infringement row with US based drug discovery firm Albany Molecular Research.

India Wins European Patent Battle For Jute

FE Reporter — 15-Sep-2009

In a major victory for the ailing jute industry Jute Manufacturers Development Council successfully fought to revoke a UK based firms patent for use of hessian cloth to cover waste and dumping grounds.

The IPR icing on Brazils cotton victory

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 16-Sep-2009

The more significant aspect of the arbitration panels ruling is that it allows cross retaliation by Brazil against intellectual property rights which is protected by the WTOs Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights TRIPS or on services.

Vedi asked not to use Le Passage trademark

Manish Ranjan — 16-Sep-2009

Delhi high court on Tuesday restrained Vedis International Tours and Travels from infringing on the registered trademark and the domain name of another tour operator Le Passage to India Tours and Travels.

Tirupati laddu gets global patent

TNN — 16-Sep-2009

Temple sources said the Tirupati laddu got the patent rights under the Geographical Indications of Goods Registration and Protection Act on Tuesday.

SC reserves judgement on Bajaj TVS patent case

Legal — 16-Sep-2009

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its judgement on the patent case between two wheeler rivals Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor.

Centre plans action against EU customs rules

Amiti Sen — 16-Sep-2009

India is not willing to take the European Commissions verbal assurances on sorting out the issue of seizure of Indian drugs at European ports.

India has immense potential to take on global pharma markets

PTI — 16-Sep-2009

Primary problems faced by the Indian pharma sector today are issues of intangibles namely lack of skilled manpower lack of consistency and quality lack of clarity on IPR and patenting regulatory failures and a highly fragmented sector it said.

Sun Pharma Caraco plan to file 30 patent pleas for generics

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 17-Sep-2009

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and its troubled US subsidiary Caraco Pharmaceuticals plan to together file 30 Abbreviated New Drug Applications with the US Food and Drug Administration to market generic drugs despite regulatory issues for the US company.

TVS can sell Flame with twin spark plug

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi — 17-Sep-2009

A Supreme Court Bench asks the Madras High Court to decide the matter before November 30.

Counterview A laddu is a laddu is a laddu

Amrith Lal — 17-Sep-2009

But these are not convincing reasons to claim that the Tirupati laddu is an exceptional item like the Darjeeling tea or Goan feni to have geographical indications patent rights.

View Good candidate for GI status

Amrith Lal — 17-Sep-2009

After Darjeeling tea champagne and Florida oranges its the turn of Tirupati laddus to get a geographical indications patent.

Dr Reddys Promoter exit wont come cheap

Pillman — 17-Sep-2009

The one off windfall gains through patent challenges of the last few years are also not so much talked about as more and more companies increasingly shake hands and call truce to save spiralling litigation costs.

The Apex Court of India Sets Guidelines for All IP Litigation in Lower Courts

ag-IP-news Agency — 17-Sep-2009

A landmark Judgment has been passed by the Supreme Court of India which could change the course of Intellectual Property litigation in India.

Appeals court affirms patent infringement rulings against Roches peg EPO product

Thousand Oaks, California — 18-Sep-2009

Amgen announced that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Massachusetts District Courts decision that Roches peg EPO product Mircera infringes four Amgen patents relating to recombinant erythropoietin and processes for making it.

Skype founders file a copyright suit against eBay

New York Times — 18-Sep-2009

The founders of Skype are escalating their legal battle with eBay.

Reliance Life trims pharma plans to keep cash in hand

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 18-Sep-2009

The pharma arm will now focus on selected high value but low volume specialty drugs.

Banarasi silk sarees get copyright cover

Binay Singh — 18-Sep-2009

Banarasi silk products have now joined the league of Pochampalli Tirupati laddu and Darjeeling tea under the registered name of Banaras Brocades and Sarees by securing Geographical Indication rights.

Glaxo seen eyeing 5% stake in Dr Reddys

REUTERS — 18-Sep-2009

Dr Reddys will get a lot of mileage in terms of selling their products in new markets while Glaxo will get access to a basket of generics at a time when a large numbers of drugs are going off patent.

Merck to launch 13 innovator drugs here

Khomba Singh — 19-Sep-2009

Besides the drugs launch we would go to smaller towns and cities where nobody has gone.Our growth will be driven by patented drugs.

Patented drugs market in India to touch $8 bn by 2015 Report

Press Trust Of India — 20-Sep-2009

The increasing population of higher income group in the country will open a potential $ 8 billion market for multi national companies selling costly patented drugs by 2015 a FICCI Ernst & Young study said.

Now an Invention Inventors Will Like

By STEVE LOHR — 20-Sep-2009

The world can be a rough place for independent inventors.

Innovation the key for winning organisations

Our Bureau — 20-Sep-2009

Innovation is all about research and development turned into an application and needs to come from all levels within an organisation.

Sun Pharma to file 30 applications for generic drugs

PTI — 21-Sep-2009

The company would file these applications along with its US based subsidiary Caraco which is facing trouble due to non compliance of current good manufacturing practice of the US drug regulator.

Pharma market in global top 10 by 2015 Report

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 21-Sep-2009

A report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry with Ernst and Young states that India could be a potential $8 billion market for multinational companies with patented drugs accounting for 8 10 per cent of the total market.

Indian global pharma firms find it worthwhile to join hands

Ravi Anathanarayanan — 21-Sep-2009

Companies began by selling generic drugs in India and other non regulated markets also invested in the US branded generic drugs market targeting drugs that went off patent and also challenging some patents.

Developing countries express concern over WIPOs hidden agenda of pushing patent harmonization

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 21-Sep-2009

Even as the World Intellectual Property Organisations two day Global Symposium of IP Authorities is underway in Geneva the developing countries are expressing concern on the larger agenda of the organisation controlled by US EU and Japan on pushing a patent harmonization agenda.

Pharma market may touch $20 billion by 2015

PTI — 21-Sep-2009

Patent products may capture 8 10% share of the total market by 2015 the report said.

OSI Pharma receives reissued patent for Tarceva

Melville, New York — 21-Sep-2009

OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc announced that the US Patent & Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance in OSIs reissue application for US Patent No.5747498 composition of matter patent for Tarceva.

Proposed patent Bill is flawed say experts

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 21-Sep-2009

A patent and intellectual property rights Bill modelled on a 1980 Act of the US Congress and due to be tabled in the Parliaments December session is drawing criticism from researchers and academics for not addressing key issues and jeopardizing public interest.

Govt begins efforts to establish Indian pharmacy chains in Africa to counter issue of fake drugs with made in India label by China

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 21-Sep-2009

In an effort to effectively counter the complex issue of spurious drugs with made in India label but were produced by Chinese companies to tarnish the image of Indian generic drugs in the African countries the Indian government has started initiatives to establish a chain of pharmacies in African countries by the reputed Indian pharmacy chains like Apollo Group and Hetero Group.

Brazil India to oppose EU at WTO

D Ravi Kanth / Geneva — 22-Sep-2009

Indian generic drug companies have been charged with violating EUs patent laws.

SC order on IPR violations may have left door open for misuse

Manish Ranjan — 22-Sep-2009

Analysts say in some cases especially those with evidence of literal copying temporary relief may be required.

When patenting is in question

K M Gopakumar — 22-Sep-2009

The report of the Technical Expert Group on Patent Law Issues also known as the Mashelkar Committee Report has once again created controversy.

Growing pharma market makes India a clinical trial destination Report

Our Bureau — 22-Sep-2009

By 2015 MNCs with patented drugs could account for $8 billion in the domestic pharmaceutical market nearly 8 10 per cent of the total market.

Resolvyx gets US patent for first Resolvin therapeutic to enter human trials

Bedford, Maryland — 22-Sep-2009

Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. the leading Resolvin therapeutics company announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent covering composition of matter for RX 10045 the first Resolvin therapeutic to enter clinical trials.

An idea thats a patent misfit

Views — 23-Sep-2009

Indias intellectual property rights regime can barely be improved by blindly transplanting a three decade old US law.

GSK drug deal talk lifts DRL scrip

ET Bureau — 23-Sep-2009

Shares of Dr Reddys Laboratories touched an intra day high of Rs 878.70 amid speculation that the Indian drug maker is in preliminary talks with UK based GlaxoSmithKline to market Red Heart Pill used to treat those with heart ailments.

Glaxo eyes Piramal Dr Reddys Labs

C.H. Unnikrishnan and Baiju Kalesh — 23-Sep-2009

At least $70 billion worth of patented drugs will go off patent by 2012.

Venus Remedies Korean firm sign out licensing deal

Press Trust of India / Mumbai — 23-Sep-2009

The company has also received patent for Sulbactomax from South African authorities and is scouting for partner to market the drug in the country.

Eli Lilly Wins Ruling on Evista Patent Validity in Teva Case

By Edvard Pettersson — 24-Sep-2009

Eli Lilly & Co. won a ruling on the validity of patents for its Evista osteoporosis treatment blocking an attempt by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. to sell a generic version of the bone loss drug.

Wockhardt gets award for patents

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 24-Sep-2009

Drug maker Wockhardt today said it has been chosen as the pharmaceutical company for the maximum number of patent filings and grants from India.

Pharma M&As sounding death knell for low cost drugs

Priyanka Golikeri — 24-Sep-2009

Indian companies which have been actively pursuing pre grant and post grant oppositions against the patents of MNCs would become less aggressive after being acquired by Big Pharma and their focus would shift more towards the generic markets in the US and the EU from India say healthcare and legal experts working in the area of access to medicines.

Consolidation will happen in the domestic drug industry

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 25-Sep-2009

India has moved to product patents has a huge middle class its healthcare and insurance systems are improving and it has a good branded generics market.

TVS set to make twin spark plug Flame

fe Bureau — 25-Sep-2009

The company statement added that in the patent dispute between Bajaj Auto Limited vs TVS Motor Company Limited the Supreme Court in its order dated September 16 has allowed TVS to sell the twin spark plug TVS Flame.

Merck vaccine move signals shift in Big Pharma

Pillman — 25-Sep-2009

We have come a long way since the days when vaccines were considered a business of marginal interest for multinational companies.

Sanofi Aventis scans India for acquisitions

Nina Mehta & George Smith Alexander — 26-Sep-2009

The absence of blockbuster patented drugs is forcing these companies to increase their revenues by buying up generic companies in developing markets which are growing exponentially because of economic prosperity.

Pharmaceutical exports up 17%

BS Reporter / Chennai/ Hyderabad — 26-Sep-2009

The government is working to provide a conducive policy environment through flexible patent legislation to make the sector self reliant he said.

India objects efforts of developed nations to undermine flexibilities in TRIPS at WIPO

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 26-Sep-2009

India has taken strong objection to the efforts being made by the developed nations through the World Intellectual Property Organization to undermine the flexibilities available under TRIPS by stretching the definition of counterfeiting.

Orchid wins US court battle against Wyeth

fe Bureaus — 26-Sep-2009

Wyeths plea for a TRO was in connection with its lawsuit against the USFDA as it challenged the regulators approval of Orchids abbreviated new drug applications for its generic products Piperacillin and Tazobactam for injections.

Ideal Cures bags Pharmexcil awards

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 26-Sep-2009

Bagging the Government of India Patents Ideal Cures was honoured with the prestigious Government of India Patents Award and the Outstanding Export Performance Award in Drugs and Pharmaceuticals for the year 2008 09 by the Pharmexcil apex body under Ministry of Commerce and Industry Government of India on Friday September 25 2009 at the Indo Africa Pharma Business Meet at the Convention Centre Hotel Marriot in Hyderabad.

Not such a patent misfit

Shyam Sunder,S. Subramanyan,Karan Thakur — 27-Sep-2009

Commercialization of patents in India remains weak is because the enforcement mechanism.

Indian drug market to triple to $ 20 bn by 2015 Report

ET Bureau — 27-Sep-2009

The report notes that In 2015 India could be a potential USD 8 billion market for MNCs with patented drugs accounting for nearly 8 10 % of the total market.

Lupin buys cholesterol drug for $39 million

PB Jayakumar & Joe C Mathew / Mumbai/delhi — 29-Sep-2009

The drug has strong brand equity with primary care physicians and has patent protection till 2020.

D Ravi Kanth Doha drifts again

D Ravi Kanth / New Delhi — 29-Sep-2009

We sail within a vast sphere ever drifting in uncertainty driven from end to end is what the G20 leaders conveyed to their trade negotiators at the Pittsburgh summit last Friday.

Indo Jap FTA Data exclusivity threat to generics

Priyanka Golikeri — 29-Sep-2009

According to intellectual property experts keeping close tabs on the FTA Japan is pressing amongst other thing for data exclusivity which could increase costs and delay the process of bringing low cost generic drugs to the market if it is granted.

Lunch with BS Anand Burman

Bhupesh Bhandari / New Delhi — 29-Sep-2009

Burman 57 is a scientist his father and the grand old man of Dabur A C Burman never got to finish college with over 40 patents against his name.

Public interest groups urge India to oppose moves at WIPO to harmonise patent administration

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 29-Sep-2009

A number of public interest organizations mainly in the health sector have urged the Centre to oppose any effort at WIPO General Assembly on harmonization of patent administration as it can fundamentally change the way in which substantive decisions about granting patents are taken by the patent offices in developing countries.

Encourage innovation in pharma and healthcare

Our Bureau — 29-Sep-2009

Participating at a panel discussion on pharma and biotech industry the Chairman and Managing Director Bharat Biotech Dr Krishna M. Ella said the absence of laws protecting intellectual property rights was discouraging innovation.

Recession and the global patent effect

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 30-Sep-2009

What happens when the apex patents organisation brings an economist sorry a chief economist on board

Reverse innovation isnt optional. It is oxygen

Vivek Kaul — 30-Sep-2009

Multinational companies need to change the very way they conduct business suggests Vijay Govindarajan noted expert on strategy & innovation and author of the international bestseller Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators.

Bharat Biotech gets patent for Lysostaphin

BS Reporter / Hyderabad — 30-Sep-2009

Hyderabad based vaccines and biotherapeutics manufacturer Bharat Biotech International announced on Wednesday that its anti staphylococcal molecule Lysostaphin had secured patent rights in US Europe China Australia and other nations.

Developing IPR is not a zero sum scenario

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 30-Sep-2009

The Geneva based World Intellectual Property Organization a specialised agency of the United Nations aims at developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property system among its 184 member countries.

Taro files new lawsuit against Sun Pharma

BS Reporters / New Delhi/mumbai — 1-Oct-2009

Recent action by the USFDA against Suns majority owned US subsidiary Caraco Laboratories Inc.

The promise of WIPOs development plan

By John Tarpey — 1-Oct-2009

A group of states known as the Friends of Development launched a far reaching proposal in 2004 to put development at the heart of the activities of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

China way ahead of India in patent filings

Our Bureau — 1-Oct-2009

The Indian Patent Office ranks 9th in the number of patents filed and 12th in the number of patents granted according to the World Intellectual Property Organisations latest data.

Actavis launches generic Lipitor in Spain

By Kevin Grogan — 02-Oct-2009

Actavis said that atorvastatin tablets are subject to widely varying patent situations around the world which is why Medis has invested significantly in different forms of the molecule.

Geographical indicators and beyond

RAJESH HALDIPUR — 3-Oct-2009

GIs are just one stop in a long journey to strengthen the intellectual property rights of traditional and artisan products.

Big Pharma urged to pool HIV patents

Priyanka Golikeri — 3-Oct-2009

Médecins Sans Frontières an international humanitarian organisation has called upon nine global pharma giants to pool their HIV patents in order to make available treatment to millions living with HIV AIDS.

Plea filed in apex court against GI tag for Tirupati Laddu

Vinson Kurian — 3-Oct-2009

A public interest petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking suo motu action against the grant of intellectual property right protection to Tirupati Laddu which is a temple offering.

Cordis enters pact with Boston to settle selected stent litigation cases

3-Oct-2009

Cordis Corporation has reached an agreement with Boston Scientific resolving its Palmaz infringement suit relating to Bostons NIR stent settling several other cardiology related cases relating to patents in the Ding Kastenhofer Palmaz and Fontirroche patent families and exchanging paid up licenses for certain intellectual properties.

Indian formulation mkt to cross $13.7 billion by 2013

R Ravichandran — 5-Oct-2009

Global investors are under pressure due to growing patent expiries of major blockbuster drugs price restrictions and slowdown in new product approvals and launches.

PCT reforms at WIPO will benefit Indian innovators exporters OPPI

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 5-Oct-2009

The Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India which represents multinational pharma companies in the country has joined issue with the forces who are opposing the efforts of the developed nations at WIPO for the patent harmonization which is feared to undermine the flexibilities available under TRIPS.

India may file case against EU at WTO

Amiti Sen — 5-Oct-2009

Its illegal as it not only violated the international intellectual property agreement but was also against the GATT provisions on transit a commerce department official told ET requesting anonymity.

Glenmark Generics listing unlocks value for parent

Ravi Ananthanarayanan — 6-Oct-2009

GGL has also focused on niche segments where there is lower competition and on drugs where there are patent challenge opportunities.

Astellas US sues Wockhardt for alleged patent infringement of Adenoscan

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 6-Oct-2009

Astellas US LLC the US subsidiary of the Japanese drug major Astellas Pharma has sued the Mumbai based Wockhardt Ltd and its US subsidiary for alleged infringement of its patent on pharmacological stress agent Adenoscan adenosine injection as the latter has filed an abbreviated new drug application for generic version of the product.

Lupin outlicences drug delivery tech to Salix

Our Bureau — 6-Oct-2009

According to the agreement Lupin and Salix have also entered into an exclusive agreement in the US for supply of Rifaximin active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Glaxo eyes Dr Reddys as Big Pharma hunts in India

By Ben Hirschler and Quentin Webb — 07-Oct-2009

But attitudes are changing fast as slowing markets at home and a cliff of patent expiries has forced Big Pharma to explore new business models.

Developing nations gain victory at WIPO against patent harmonization agenda

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 8-Oct-2009

The member states of the WIPO have reached an agreement on a renewed and strengthened mandate for the Intergovernmental Committee on IP on Genetic Resources Traditional Knowledge and Folklore which would now undertake text based negotiations on an international legal instrument aimed at protecting these resources.

Patent experts pool being set up to advise courts

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 8-Oct-2009

Move to assist the judiciary which is not yet fully conversant with the technical aspects of patent cases.

EU officials raid Ranbaxy French unit

ET Bureau — 8-Oct-2009

Generic companies make the low cost version of original drugs and they challenge the patent of original drugmakers so that they are able to launch their drugs before patent expiry.

Brazil may team up with India against EC

Asit Ranjan Mishra — 8-Oct-2009

India is appealing against EC at WTO for seizure of in transit consignments citing patent infringement.

Basic Research Loses Some Allure

By DON CLARK and CHRISTOPHER RHOADS — 08-Oct-2009

Last year 70% of its patents were for software and services reflecting its shift away from computers and semiconductors where pure science plays a bigger role.

Pharma cos build immunity against counterfeiters

Nina Mehta & Prashant Mahesh — 9-Oct-2009

The company has filed several patent applications for this technology which it says can be easily integrated into a pharma companys manufacturing process.

Uganda Tanzania Zambia too planning anticounterfeit legislations despite Indias caution

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 9-Oct-2009

In the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights TRIPS counterfeit is defined as pertaining to trademark infringement.

Scanner at shops multi coloured pills to detect counterfeit medicines

Nina Mehta & Prashant Mahesh — 09-Oct-2009

The company has filed several patent applications for this technology which it says can be easily integrated into a pharma companys manufacturing process.

Court directive to Texmo on trade mark issue

Our Legal Correspondent — 10-Oct-2009

The Madras High Court has directed the Madhya Pradesh based Texmo Pipes & Products Ltd to print or project in its publication advertisement pertaining to public issue of 50 lakh equity shares of Rs 10 each that its right to use the trade mark Texmo had nothing to do with the plaintiffs firm viz. Aqua Pump Industries or its trade mark Texmo Aqua.

Indian scientists develop sulphur free sugar

Shivani Vig — 10-Oct-2009

Before this we would be filing a patent for the developed sugar within a month and once through it would be the biggest achievement for the sugar industry and for NSI as well concluded Prof Narendra Mohan.

Lupin pills hit legal wall in United States

PB Jayakumar / Mumbai — 11-Oct-2009

Teva Womens Health of Israel and Warner Chilcott of Puerto Rico have sued Indias Lupin in separate patent infringement cases in the US.

Lupin eyes $200 mn opportunity in US contraceptives market

PTI — 11-Oct-2009

Mumbai based pharmaceutical firm Lupin is gearing to tap opportunities to the tune of up to $200 million in the US oral contraceptives market despite patent litigation from rivals on its plans to sell generic drugs there.

Carlos Correa accuses Mashelkar for misinterpreting his quotes in revised report

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 12-Oct-2009

The government had set up a technical expert group with Dr R A Mashelkar as its chairman and four other members on April 5 2005 on the twin issues of evergreening of patents and excluding micro organism from patentability.

Improved product mix margins make Atul a good long term bet

Ujjval Jauharri — 12-Oct-2009

Atul also plans to introduce new products coming off patent.

The end of a drug alliance

Shamnad Basheer — 12-Oct-2009

Recent alliances such as Ranbaxy Daiichi Indian generics firms are now acquiring dual personalities and speaking the language of patents and innovation.

Big Pharma targets emerging mkts

Joe C Mathew /New Delhi — 12-Oct-2009

According to a recent KPMG study drugs worth $65 70 billion are expected to go off patent in five years while there are very few new drugs that can generate similar revenues.

Storm over drug patent linkage after court rejects Bayer petition

AZB and Partners — 12-Oct-2009

Bayer contended DCGI should not approve any application for a generic drug if the original has been patented.

US District Court approves sanofi aventis Sun Pharma patent settlement on Eloxatin

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 12-Oct-2009

The District Court has now ruled that since the terms of the agreement were explained in both the letter of intent and the term sheets the agreement is enforceable without considering whether all the required signatures are obtained or not.

Outlook for pharmaceutical companies looks good

Manas chakravarty, Ravi Ananthanarayanan and Vatsala Kama — 12-Oct-2009

IMS Health a global pharmaceutical market research company has released its latest forecast for 2010 in which it projects the global pharmaceutical market to grow by 4 6%.

Panel on pricing of patented drugs undecided on formula with no data on imported drugs

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 12-Oct-2009

The panel set up by the chemicals ministry in February 2007 to suggest a framework to fix prices of imported drugs through negotiations still could not muster enough support for its formula.

Mashelkar clarifies on patent report conclusions

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 13-Oct-2009

Nearly two months after Argentine patent expert Carlos M Correa complained about the misinterpretation of his observations to conclude an expert group report on Indian patent laws the chairman of the Technical Expert Group R A Mashelkar clarified that the reports conclusions were not based on Correas views but on TEGs own interpretations.

Phytogen develops a range of modified dosage nutraceuticals scouts for marketing par

Nandita Vijay, Bangalore — 14-Oct-2009

All the products have gone in for trademark clearances.

Glenmark Pharma plans to list its generics subsidiary

Nina Mehta — 14-Oct-2009

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals is planning to list its generics subsidiary Glenmark Generics and has filed a draft red herring prospectus with SEBI.

EMPOWERING SMEs

P A Francis — 14-Oct-2009

With the amendment of Indian Patent Act in 2005 allowing product patent Indian pharmaceutical market has become very attractive to MNCs.

We dont have space for more partnerships

Joe C Mathew & Vandana Gombar / New Delhi — 14-Oct-2009

Piramal Healthcare Ltd the countrys fourth largest drug company has been focusing on international partnerships and collaborations instead of following the high risk route of patent challenges to grow revenues.

Indian excipients market expected to grow 15 to 18% in near future say experts

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 14-Oct-2009

Owing to the large chunk of drugs going off patent in the coming years the experts expect a growth rate of Indian excipients market at around 15 to 18 per cent annum as against the global growth rate.

Sun acquisitions on hold will resume

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 14-Oct-2009

Dilip Shanghvi Suns chairman and managing director has put the companys new expansion plans on hold as he battles over Taro and tries to sort out US subsidiary Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. which has had operations halted by the US FDA.

The campaign against that pesky 3 d

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 14-Oct-2009

Section 3 d is a singular provision aimed at preventing the evergreening of patents by drug inventors.

Pharma industry seeks new technical committee in place of Mashelkar panel

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 14-Oct-2009

Pharma industry has called for further amendment to the Patents Act to strengthen the criteria of patent protection and constitution of a fresh technical expert committee on the scope of patentability of pharma products as the earlier panel headed by Dr R A Mashelkar has run into controversy yet again.

Suven Lifes Alzheimers Drug Gets Patents

By RUMMAN AHMED — 14-Oct-2009

Suven Life Sciences Ltd. said Wednesday it has secured product patents in nine regions for its experimental drug for treating Alzheimers disease and schizophrenia.

Better monitoring of clinical research an imperative

Pillman — 15-Oct-2009

In truth the largest benefit of globalised trials comes from faster time to market reducing development time by half results in nearly two thirds reduction in overall development cost and provides a longer post approval patent term in which to recoup the investment.

EC seeks views on Darjeeling tea patent

PTI — 15-Oct-2009

The European Commission has invited public comments on a proposal from India seeking protection for Darjeeling tea against grant of patent for the beverage leaves grown in the hilly region of West Bengal.

USFDA tells Glenmark to withdraw drug

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 15-Oct-2009

The US Food and Drug Administration has directed Glenmarks US arm Glenmark Generics Inc and three other manufacturers to stop the marketing of unapproved codeine sulphate tablets in the US market.

EUs latest moves on counterfeit drugs cause fresh concerns to Indian pharma

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 15-Oct-2009

The recent moves by the developed countries especially the European Union on the counterfeit medicines issue have caused fresh worries among the Indian generic exporters prompting them to take recourse with the authorities for renewed efforts including international intervention along with other developing countries.

Darjeeling tea closes in on Europe

Sachin P Mampatta — 16-Oct-2009

The Indian application for a Geographical Indication mark for Darjeeling tea has entered a crucial six month period after which it would be given the same status as products such as Roquefort cheese and Napa Valley wines.

US Court rules Ranbaxys generic valganciclovir does not infringe Roches Valcyte patent

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 16-Oct-2009

The verdict is on a complaint filed by Roche alleging Ranbaxy of patent infringement of the formers US Patent No 6083953 following an Abbreviated New Drug Application filed by Ranbaxy on amorphous form of valganciclovir with the US Food and Drug Administration in 2006.

Made in India dominates US AIDS scheme

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 16-Oct-2009

Even patent protected drugs are procured for supply with a tentative approval in the countries covered under the programme.

Teva sues Mylan alleging Copaxone patent infringement

Esha Dey in Bangalore — 17-Oct-2009

Generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd sued rival Mylan Inc alleging that Mylans application to market a copycat version of Tevas multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone was infringing certain patents.

Generics face uniform patent norms threat

Priyanka Golikeri — 17-Oct-2009

Patients suffering from swine flu in India have a choice of buying the medicine oseltamivir from Natco Pharma Hetero Drugs and Strides Arcolab etc all of whose brands are available in the market.

Health Discovery Corporation Announces Additional Issued Patents and Notices of Allowance to Its Intellectual Property Portfolio

Matthew Swetonic — 19-Oct-2009

Health Discovery Corporation is pleased to announce numerous additional issued patents and Notices of Allowance since its last press release describing its intellectual property portfolio.

India to lodge complaint with WTO against seizure of drug exports at EU ports

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 20-Oct-2009

The government so far failed to cut much ice with the EU authorities in relaxing regulations on patent and trade mark issues so that at least the drug shipments on transit cannot be seized at the EU ports on charges of counterfeiting and patents infringement.

Bisleri told to stop using Maaza trademark

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi — 21-Oct-2009

The Delhi High Court today asked Bisleri International not to sell its mango flavoured soft drink under the trade name Maaza in India.

Dont dilute Right To Information Act with amendments

Ashutosh Shukla — 21-Oct-2009

The amendments to the RTI Act proposed by the central government have made activists as well as the public information commissioners increasingly unhappy.

GI protection Gain for some pain for others

Vandana Gombar & Ch Prashanth Reddy / New Delhi/hyderabad — 21-Oct-2009

Early next month the Madras High Court will hear a unique case a petition challenging the geographical indications protection given to the famous Tirupati laddu produced by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

FDA seizes spurious drugs worth Rs10 lakh

Ninad Siddhaye — 21-Oct-2009

Drug inspectors of the state Food and Drug Administration have seized a huge stock of spurious drugs from a godown in MIDC Turbhe.

International public interest groups slam EU on double standards on drug laws

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 21-Oct-2009

International public interest organizations have charged the European Union with adopting double standards vis à vis poor and developed countries and blocking the access to essential medicines across the world especially in the underdeveloped countries.

Patenting Landscape in India

Stephen Albainy-Jenei — 21-Oct-2009

In recent years India has witnessed rapid changes in its patenting landscape as a result of the growing economic activity and reforms.

ImmunoCellular seeks US patent protection for intellectual property relating to novel glycosylated epitopes

Los Angeles, California — 21-Oct-2009

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd a clinical stage biotechnology company that is developing immune based therapies for the treatment of brain and other cancers has filed a provisional patent application at US Patent Office seeking protection of intellectual property relating to novel glycosylated epitopes present in lung cancer pancreatic cancer and colon cancer that are targeted by the Companys ICT 109 monoclonal antibody product candidate.

Indias patent progress

Science|Business reporting — 22-Oct-2009

The reform of Indias patent system has given foreign companies the confidence that they can protect their intellectual property rights but the economic boom is yet to translate through to a surge in home grown innovation according to the latest research from the market analyst Evalueserve.

RA Mashelkar For me its national interest that comes first

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 22-Oct-2009

Former director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research R. A. Mashelkar who chaired the technical experts group on patent law constituted by the government has been dragged into a fresh controversy.

India need to develop strong legal system against bio piracy Prof. K V Krishnamurthy

Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai — 22-Oct-2009

The usurping of indigenous knowledge or traditional knowledge including medical knowledge without any benefit to the owner society is called bio piracy or gene robbing.

Nokia sues Apple for patent infringement

REUTERS — 22-Oct-2009

The worlds top cellphone maker Nokia Oyj on Thursday charged Apple with infringing Nokia patents in its iPhone.

India rejects draft WTO services schedule by US

D Ravi Kanth / Geneva — 23-Oct-2009

India along with other countries today shot down a concerted move by the United States Australia and Canada to prepare draft scheduling of commitments in Doha services negotiations based on signals made by trade ministers during the failed ministerial meeting last year a trade envoy told Business Standard.

Biocon banks on biosimilars novel drugs

Priyanka Golikeri — 23-Oct-2009

Estimates suggest that by 2016 about $25 billion worth of biologics would lose patent protection.

It was only growth that eluded us

Business Standard / New Delhi — 23-Oct-2009

We at Nasscom are looking at monitoring of patents as many companies now have to declare their patents in India.

BJP may soon claim patent on poll defeat

Devesh Kumar — 23-Oct-2009

For BJP tasting defeats in electoral battles has by now become routine.

The new pharmaceutical order

Bhupesh Bhandari / New Delhi — 23-Oct-2009

All of them not so long ago shared a common dream quickly capture the market for drugs that have gone off patent in the west.

Pfizer scans India for shopping options

Khomba Singh — 23-Oct-2009

Pfizer has approached several Indian drugmakers for possible alliances as part of moves to try and bolster revenues threatened by the expiry of patents on key blockbuster drugs in the next three years three persons with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Sun to stop making Alzheimers drug after losing patent battle

ET Bureau — 24-Oct-2009

Sun Pharmaceuticals has agreed not to manufacture and market the generic version of Alzheimers drug of Forest Laboratories after it lost patent battle with the US drugmaker on Thursday.

Allergan wins ruling in patent case against 2 drugmakers

By Robert Daniel — 25-Oct-2009

Allergan Inc. won a ruling in federal court that its patents on Alphagan which lowers pressure in the eye in patients with open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension were infringed.

Biocon starts reaping benefits of Mylan pact

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 25-Oct-2009

Under the partnership Biocon is to develop four biosimilar products low cost versions of patented biotechnology products and supply them to Mylan for selling globally.

Govt gives overt & covert support to US stand on climate CPI M

Press Trust Of India — 25-Oct-2009

It also said India should work for freeing of technology transfers from restrictions of Intellectual Property Rights regime.

Nokia may seek up to$1 billion from Apple

Tarmo Virki — 26-Oct-2009

Apple a latecomer to the cellphone industry has won a considerable share of the higher end of the market but it has limited intellectual property assets compared with rivals when all vendors work under cross licensing agreements.

India seeks help from global NGOs to dissuade African nations enacting anti counterfeit laws

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 26-Oct-2009

The Indian government has asked the NGOs about the need to segregate twin issues of Intellectual Property and counterfeit drugs.

Glenmark Generics launches first four products in UK market

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 27-Oct-2009

Of the four products launched Topiramate Tablets 25mg 50mg 100mg 200mg was launched on September 24 2009 which was day 1 of patent expiry in the UK market.

Pfizers Handa is new MD of Wyeth India

fe Bureaus — 27-Oct-2009

Pfizer has launched five patented products in India since 2005 Vfend Viagra Lyrica Caduet and Macugen.

Allergan wins brimonidine patent infringement case against Exela PharmSci & Apotex

Irvine, California — 27-Oct-2009

Innovation in medicine has improved lives reduced suffering and advanced the quality of patient care and our intellectual property embodies our commitment to and investment in medical innovation said Douglas S Ingram Allergans executive vice president chief administrative officer and secretary.

India may ask exporters to boycott KLM to deter EU for holding up drug cargo

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 28-Oct-2009

Even as the Indian government is planning to file a complaint with World Trade Organisation against the European Union on the issue of seizure of Indian drug shipments at EU ports the government is also exploring other options to pressurise the EU nations to change the patent laws amended some time back to make them more stringent.

Proposed PCT II revisions in WIPO against developing countries: IDMA

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 28-Oct-2009

Now WIPO proposes a new treaty for a Global Patenting Order.

Watson and Barr Settle Lawsuit Over Oxytrol

CORONA, Calif — 29-Oct-2009

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. a leading specialty pharmaceutical company announced today that its subsidiary Watson Laboratories Inc. has reached a settlement with Barr Laboratories Inc. on outstanding patent litigation related to Watsons Oxytrol® product.

Music industry wins Indias biggest plea bargaining case: IMI

Chitra Unnithan / Mumbai/ Ahmedabad — 29-Oct-2009

In a significant case of copyright infringement under the concept of plea bargaining the Indian Music Industry won a compensation amount of Rs 12 lakhs in a copyright case.

Seeds of trouble

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 29-Oct-2009

Last week the debate on intellectual property rights on seeds became more contentious when Olivier de Schutter the UNs Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food warned that the increasing dependency on commercial seed varieties controlled by a handful of very powerful multinational companies could have a severe impact on small farmers in developing countries.

Prof Baker too finds fault with Mashelkars revised report after Correas objections

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 29-Oct-2009

Close on the heels of international patent expert professor Carlos Correas criticism of the revised Mashelkar Committee report another international patent expert professor Brook K Baker has lambasted the Mashelkar Committee report stating that the revised version underestimates Indias right to define patentability.

Sun Pharma net profit dips 11.5%

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 29-Oct-2009

Analysts said despite regulatory issues in the US for its subsidiary Caraco growth in domestic business Caracos better sales than what was clocked in the immediate previous quarter and the patent settlement with Forest Laboratories during the recent quarter helped the company post better than expected profits.

Takeda holds forecast drugs outlook still tough

by Nobuhiro Kubo — 30-Oct-2009

Takedas sales may drop from next year on as patents of some drugs will expire and most investors are wondering how Takeda will deal with the problem.

Bumpy road ahead for India EU FTA

Nirmala Ganapathy — 31-Oct-2009

Though Ms Smadja said the priority in the negotiations remained issues like tariff market access non tariff barriers government procurement and IPR she also maintained that non trade issues were also important.

Sanofi sues Sandoz for infringing cancer drug patent

Tom Hals — 31-Oct-2009

French drugmaker Sanofi Aventis SA asked a U.S. federal court to block a Novartis unit from selling a generic version of its cancer drug in the United States because it infringes a patent according to court documents.

Popular cold pain drugs face ban

Rupali Mukherjee — 31-Oct-2009

Popular and widely used medicines like phenylpropanolamine or PPA found in cough and cold remedies like Vicks Action 500 Solvin Wincold gastrointestinal tegaserod anti bacterial gatifloxacin and painkiller nimesulide are under government scanner on concerns raised about their adverse reactions.

India in talks with US PTO for granting access to TKDL data to curb bio piracy

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 2-Nov-2009

After sharing the database of Traditional Knowledge Digital Library with European countries India is now in talks with more countries including the US for similar agreement to grant access to the details in a bid to prevent wrong patents across the world on Indian medicinal plants.

India ready to face WTO over wines spirits duties

Nayanima Basu / New Delhi — 3-Nov-2009

Negotiations to create a trade and investment agreement were initiated on June 2007 covering trade in goods services investment intellectual property rights competition policy and geographical indications among others.

Novartis Venture Funds looking at innovative India opportunities

P. T. Jyothi Datta — 3-Nov-2009

Also working in favour of target companies was strong intellectual property and capital efficiency he added.

Experts suspect Cotonou Declaration another attempt by developed nations to push counterfeit agenda

Ramesh Shankar — 3-Nov-2009

Recently the WHO South East Asia Regional Office passed a resolution stressing the need to separate issues related to intellectual property enforcement from the safety quality and efficacy of medicines.

ICFAI told to pay $1 million for infringing trademark in US

Kalpana Pathak / Mumbai — 3-Nov-2009

The Hyderabad based Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India has been asked to pay over $1 million to the US based Chartered Financial Analyst Institute in damages for using the CFA trademark in the US.

EU seizes another generic package

Priyanka Golikeri — 3-Nov-2009

In yet another instance of attacks on Indian generics in the European Union a consignment of 1.74 million tablets of anti platelet drug clopidogrel from Mumbai based Macleods Pharma to Venezuela is learnt to have been seized at the Paris airport in October on grounds of patent violation.

ABLEs fourth biotech investor forum to kick off in Mumbai on Nov 5

Our Bureau, Bangalore — 3-Nov-2009

The deliberation will focus on partnering & alliances opportunities from Intellectual Property sharing risk and explore other avenues to generate revenues which include monetizing assets licensing opportunities & services.

No fair play in pharma industry

MM Sharma Head — 3-Nov-2009

These drugs contain same active ingredients as the original formulations invented by the originator companies mostly from Europe or United States and in most cases the usual life 20 years of the patents have expired or are about to expire.

Not the right medicine

Business Standard / New Delhi — 3-Nov-2009

Big global pharmaceutical firms seeking to buy into prominent Indian generic players is in fact a vindication of the Indian pharmaceutical story which began with the decision by Indira Gandhi to rein in the cost of medicines and allow process and not product patents.

Share tech to manage climate change

Urmi Goswami — 3-Nov-2009

The failure to arrive at a consensus on the issue of sharing IPRs could well be one of the hurdles to an outcome at the Copenhagen summit.

Indian drugs may get safe EU passage

Amiti Sen — 4-Nov-2009

Pharma exports from India are likely to be promised safe passage by the European Union after India took up the issue following seizure of two consignments while in transit through the region.

Quick fix solution

M J Antony / New Delhi — 4-Nov-2009

Two judgments of the Supreme Court delivered in recent weeks are significant as they highlight the problem of long delays in cases involving intellectual property rights and the quick fix solution suggested by the court.

Pharma firms now need to shift focus to marketing: PwCs Friend

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 4-Nov-2009

Big pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer Inc. Novartis AG and GlaxoSmithKline Plc have followed a strategy to invest in the research and development of new drugs to feed their market needs driven by speciality and patent protected products.

India takes drug seizure issue to WTO council

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 4-Nov-2009

The seizure of another consignment of Indian generic drugs in transit has pushed India to drag the issue to the TRIPS Council a high level body of the World Trade Organization dealing with intellectual property issues.

Core group for promoting local mfg of telecom infra

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 04-Nov-2009

The meeting also discussed issues such as investments manufacturing and Indian intellectual property rights.

EU review mechanism on customs laws not likely to cover drug seizure issue

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 5-Nov-2009

Even as the repeated seizure of drugs by the European authorities raised resentment and the EU claimed to be reviewing the contentious regulatory clause relating to the issue India has expressed apprehension about the review and its chances of resolving the matter permanently.

FTA negotiation tops agenda at India EU bilateral summit

fe Bureaus — 5-Nov-2009

It is at a critical phase as it will involve bargaining on duty cuts market access on services sector IPR as well as toning down non tariff barriers.

Salix Pharma gets US patent for Rifaximin

Raleigh, North Carolina — 06-Nov-2009

Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent No. 7612199 entitled Polymorphic Forms Alpha Beta and Gamma of Rifaximin.

EU to resolve drugs seizure issue soon

ET Bureau — 6-Nov-2009

Since the beginning of the year the EU have been confiscating Indian generic drugs that are on transit to Africa and Latin America on the ground that it violated the EUs patent regime.

Indian drug cos need to focus on niche segments in US generic market: Pharmexcil Study

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 6-Nov-2009

The Indian pharma companies should focus more on complex chemistry biotech based medicines and advance formulations to tap the lucrative US generic market in future suggests a study conducted by Pharmaceuticals Exports Promotion Council the apex body governing pharma exports under the Union Ministry of Commerce.

India EU to resolve generic drugs exports tangle

IANS — 06-Nov-2009

These shipments were for third countries so they did not violate either TRIPS Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights agreement or other existing laws.

Biocon hums with plans pitches for global top 3 slot

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 7-Nov-2009

About $25 billion worth of biological drugs are losing patent protection by 2016 and it is predicted that seven of the 10 top selling drugs will be biologics by 2020.

Dr Reddys develops generic version of Pfizers Lipitor

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 7-Nov-2009

With this the Indian drug maker has joined the club of only a few generic companies hoping to grab a share of the cholesterol lowering drugs market when its patent expires from next year.

Generic drug cos see a bitter pill in counterfeit label

Soma Das — 7-Nov-2009

The fear of generic drugs coming under the definition of counterfeit drugs is haunting the Indian pharma industry yet again.

Barkha Dutt wins domain dispute against Hyderabad based entity

STAFF WRITER — 08-Nov-2009

Barkha Dutt a noted journalist and Group Editor of NDTV news channel has won an internet domain dispute at the World Intellectual Property Organisation against a Hyderabad based entity.

Centre protests copyright violation by Google Books

Rituparna Bhuyan — 9-Nov-2009

The portal has led to numerous class action suites by authors and publishers in the US France and Germany for offering this facility in alleged violation of copyrights laws.

Brain League set to tap start up

Nandita Vijay, Bangalore — 9-Nov-2009

BrainLeague a knowledge management and Intellectual Property consultancy company has now started a special service for pharma biotech start ups where it will offer IP generation protection management and commercialization advise.

Generics Gateway

BV Mahalakshmi, Sudhir Chowdhary — 9-Nov-2009

The global generics market driven by a series of growth factors such as increasing genericisation favourable government support significant patent expiries and an ageing population is projected to grow at an attractive rate.

IP rights create a secure environment for investment in innovation

Francis Gurry — 9-Nov-2009

The sustained growth of Indias IT sector is a further example of what can be achieved through strategic use of IP.

AstraZeneca sues Lupin to protect patent rights of anti ulcer drug Nexium

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 10-Nov-2009

AstraZeneca the Anglo Swedish drug major has filed a patent infringement lawsuit at the US District Court of New Jersey against the Mumbai based Lupin Ltd and its US subsidiary to curb the latters move to manufacture and market the generic version of its blockbuster acid reflux drug Nexium.

Indian generic firms to gain from Obamas healthcare bill

Khomba Singh — 10-Nov-2009

In return for patents which are valid for 20 years innovator companies have to share the research work of their new drugs so that other companies can use the knowledge to develop copies of the drug when the original drugs patent expires.

Access to US biosimilars market set to get tougher

Priyanka Golikeri — 10-Nov-2009

The US is considering a measure that would prevent the US Food and Drug Administration from approving a biosimilar off patent version of a biopharmaceutical drug until 12 years have passed since the innovator biologic was first approved.

Patent disputes give global biggies the jitters

Bloomberg — 10-Nov-2009

The US Supreme Court on Monday considers a patent dispute that will determine how much legal protection is afforded abstract business innovations and has drawn in companies including Microsoft Google and Novartis.

Dr Reddys unit rev to grow 10 15pct in FY10

By Sumeet Chatterjee — 11-Nov-2009

Analysts say growth in the sector will also be boosted by the biggest loss of patent protection in history in the next couple of years depriving global pharma majors of exclusivity on some of the worlds most famous and profitable medicines.

HC stops Zydus drug sale on Sun petition

BS Reporters / Mumbai/chennai — 11-Nov-2009

Unlike patent litigation trademark cases can be filed anywhere in India where the company sells the drug explained Gopakumar Nair an expert on patents and managing director of Patent Gurukul.

Medicis files another patent infringement suit against Glenmark

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 11-Nov-2009

The US based Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp the specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on dermatological and aesthetic products has sued the Mumbai based Glenmark Generics Ltd and its US subsidiary in the District Court of New Jersey for alleged infringement of its patent rights on antifungal agent Loprox Gel.

Mahabaleshwar seeks GI tag for its strawberries

ET Bureau — 11-Nov-2009

After the Puneri pagdi Tirupati laddoo basmati rice the Mahabaleshwar strawberry is seeking geographical identification status.

Lupin issues notice to Depomed Inc relating to Glumetza patent

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 11-Nov-2009

Lupin Ltd a Rs 3775 crore fifth largest Indian pharma major has issued a Paragraph IV certification notice to Depomed Inc regarding filing of an ANDA with the US FDA for a generic version of Glumetza 500 mg and 1000 mg strengths.

AstraZeneca sues Lupin for infringing on drug patent

fe Bureau — 11-Nov-2009

Anglo Swedish drug giant AstraZeneca has sued the Mumbai based pharma company Lupin Ltd in the US District Court of New Jersey charging it of infringing the innovators patent coverage by attempting to manufacture and market anti ulcer drug Nexium one of the top five blockbuster drugs globally.

Daiichi to leverage Ranbaxy abroad

Mohit Bhalla & Khomba Singh — 11-Nov-2009

Japans Daiichi Sankyo which controls Ranbaxy Laboratories will use the Indian company as a launch pad to sell its patented drugs in Europe China and the US and will work together in developing new products a senior company official said.

MNCs working against Indian drug firms Anand Sharma tells WIPO chief

PTI — 11-Nov-2009

India on Wednesday complained to the UN intellectual property rights body WIPO that some multinational firms have launched campaign against countrys pharmaceutical industry which has broken their cartel in the generic drugs.

Outsourcing arm of Dr Reddys expects 10 15% revenue growth

Sumeet Chatterjee — 12-Nov-2009

Analysts say growth in the sector will also be boosted by the biggest loss of patent protection in history in the next couple of years depriving global pharma firms of exclusivity on some of the worlds most famous and profitable medicines.

E7 the new El Dorado for pharma

Priyanka Golikeri — 12-Nov-2009

Even for biosimilars off patent versions of biopharmaceutical drugs potential lies in Latin America and Asia says Kiran Mazumdar Shaw CMD of Bangalore based biotechnology player Biocon.

Novartis puts R&D activities in India on hold

Nina Mehta — 12-Nov-2009

Frustrated with patent challenges Swiss pharma giant Novartis has put its research and development activities in India on the back burner its CEO Daniel Vasella said. Mr Vasella who was in town to attend the Pepsico board meet said the intellectual property protection was not up to the mark in India.

Rs 55k cr domestic drug mkt largely spurious free claims health ministry

By Soma Das — 12-Nov-2009

The much awaited official word of the government on the penetration of counterfeit drug in the domestic market is out.

Method mania

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 12-Nov-2009

A US Supreme Court case on the patenting of business methods draws pharma and software giants into the battle.

Cipla offers to step up swine flu drug supplies

Our Bureau — 12-Nov-2009

Cipla has offered to sell generic Oseltamivir the generic version of Roches anti viral drug Tamiflu to the US said Cipla Chairman and Managing Director Dr Y.K. Hamied adding however that at present it does not sell to the US and Europe because the drug is patent protected in these markets.

Valuing intangible property

By Anuradha Salhotra — 12-Nov-2009

Over the past few years businesses have given more and more prominence to intellectual property.

WIPO Director General Pledges Support for Indias Visually Impaired Community

ag-IP-news ,GENEVA — 12-Nov-2009

The World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry met representatives of Indias visually impaired community at a conference on the Right to Read of persons with print disabilities and copyright challenges.

Astellas Pharma set to launch Prograf in India works on marketing strategy

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 13-Nov-2009

The product has been enjoying the top ranks in the segment in the US market till it lost the patent protection.

Now cosmetics from cow

Ramu Bhagwat — 13-Nov-2009

The research centre situated at Deolapar 65 km from here has already won patents from the United States and China for its cow urine distillate.

Venus bags another product patent for Potentox from South Africa

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 13-Nov-2009

Venus Remedies a research based pharma company has received fifth product patent in the current year.

Top drug firms growth to come from Russia Brazil and India

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 13-Nov-2009

In the past half a decade big pharmaceutical firms havent developed any new blockbuster drugs the lifeblood for them.

No cure in sight for India EU drug seizure controversy

Pallavi Aiyar / Brussels — 14-Nov-2009

Last month the Indian mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva informed a TRIPS council meeting that widespread and repeated seizures were having an adverse impact on the legitimate trade of generic medicines universal access to medicines in developing countries and national public health budgets.

Endo Pharma to pay US$ 23 mn to LecTec to settle patent litigation

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania — 14-Nov-2009

Endo Pharmaceuticals has reached a settlement with LecTec Corporation on outstanding patent litigation related to LecTecs US Patent Nos. 5536263 and 5741510.

Cash crunch hits intellectual property office reforms

Gunjan Sharma — 14-Nov-2009

The Controller General of Patents Design and Trademarks PH Kurian has said that budget constraints are hindering the reforms in the functioning of the Intellectual Property Office.

Drug Makers Raise Prices in Face of Health Care Reform

By DUFF WILSON — 15-Nov-2009

But drug companies say they are having to raise prices to maintain the profits necessary to invest in research and development of new drugs as the patents on many of their most popular drugs are set to expire over the next few years.

Affordable innovation in healthcare

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw — 16-Nov-2009

Perhaps the most poignant present day paradox is that even as medical knowledge advances and global wealth grows health inequity between the rich and the poor is widening.

Govt to free tech tie ups trademark use

Anindita Dey / Mumbai — 16-Nov-2009

In a move that would help Indian companies access technology and trademarks more freely the government has decided to free the pricing for import of technology and use of trademark.

Glenmark Generics settles litigation with Medicis

REUTERS — 16-Nov-2009

Glenmark Generics Inc the US unit of Glenmark Generics Ltd on Monday said that it has settled all pending litigation with Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp relating to patent actions regarding Fluocinonide.

Now Zydus moves court against Sun

ET Bureau — 16-Nov-2009

The battle lines have been drawn between Mumbai based Sun Pharmaceutical and its Ahmedabad based rival Zydus Cadila.

Garmin says has not infringed Pioneers patents

by Savio D\'Souza in Bangalore — 16-Nov-2009

U.S. navigation device maker Garmin denied it infringed any patents and said it intended to defend itself against a patent suit filed by Japanese consumer electronics maker Pioneer Corp a Garmin spokesperson told Reuters.

TVS Bajaj case adjourned to Wednesday

ET Bureau — 16-Nov-2009

Barely days after TVS Motor re launched the contentious TVS Flame 125 cc motorcycle fitted with twin spark plug on the back of a Supreme Court order the battle between the company and Bajaj Auto made a comeback to the Madras High Court.

Tangaliya gets GI status

Rupam Singh Gupta — 16-Nov-2009

The Tangaliya shawl which uses a unique weaving technique and was almost on the verge of extinction has been given GI recognition by the Central government.

Purdue Pharma sues Sun Pharma following Para IV patent filing on pain killer drug

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 17-Nov-2009

The US based Purdue Pharma products LP and its partner Napp Pharmaceutical Group Ltd have filed a patent infringement petition against Sun Pharmaceuticals and its US arms following a para IV certification filed by the latter to manufacture and market generic version of the formers pain killer Ryzolt tramadol hydrochloride extended release drug.

Plea to protect intellectual property rights

LESLEY STONES — 17-Nov-2009

SA NEEDS to protect the intellectual property rights of companies more vigorously to spark greater innovations that will benefit the economy says the Free Market Foundation.

Medicis deal generic biz to boost financials

Kiran Kabtta Somvanshi — 17-Nov-2009

Glenmark has also settled a patent litigation with the same company over the latters two products.

TRIPS flexibilities sacred no plans to touch them

KG Narendranath — 17-Nov-2009

Francis Gurry the director general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation was in the capital recently amid the controversies over multilateral bodys plans to reform the Patent Cooperation Treaty which some quarters allege would lead to infringing upon the powers of national governments in matters of patent examination and grant.

Intel withdraws suit against govt

PTI — 17-Nov-2009

The worlds largest chip maker Intel Corporation today withdrew its suit before the Delhi High Court against the government trademark registry and the two small firms which have got registered its trademark till 2017.

NGOs warn against proposal to link marketing approval with patent status

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 18-Nov-2009

The public interest groups have again warned the Health Ministry against any attempt to link marketing approval with patent status as being pushed by the multinational companies saying that it would turn the drug regulator into Indias patent police.

Suven Life Sciences plans to raise funds for clinical trials

C.R. Sukumar — 18-Nov-2009

Its chairman and CEO Venkat Jasti said SUVN 502 is intended for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimers disease schizophrenia and other disorders of memory and cognition

Protectionism by another name

Business Standard / New Delhi — 18-Nov-2009

The India European Union Joint Customs Cooperation Committee has met in New Delhi and failed to resolve the issue over Indian generic drugs being seized when they are in transit through European ports.

Mahindra Satyam could service M&M

Shweta Bhanot, Rachana Khanzode — 18-Nov-2009

According to Natarajan the firm currently helps its clients in the intellectual property IP space for designing products working out new regulations industrial products for emission fuel efficiency & fuel cost reduction and safety aspects in aerospace area.

Bayers patent case hearing in HC today

TNN — 18-Nov-2009

Drug multinational Bayers appeal against rejection of its petition in the Delhi high court indirectly seeking patent linkages will come up for hearing on November 18.

Supreme Court: When Do Ideas Deserve Patents

By Adi Narayan — 18-Nov-2009

It all started in 1997 when a little known company wanted to patent a method for letting customers of utility companies pay a fixed predictable sum each month.

90% of local patents applied for and granted come from nonresidents

Max V. de Leon / Reporter — 18-Nov-2009

THE countrys patent landscape continues to be dominated by foreign owners with data both from the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines indicating that over 90 percent of the patents applied for and granted here were from nonresidents.

Wockhardt Sun get US okay for generic drug

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 19-Nov-2009

The patents covering this product had expired yesterday.

EU blamed for breaking Doha Declaration denying access to cheaper medicines to poor nations

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 19-Nov-2009

Alleging that the European Unions trade agenda has taken a wrong turn and charging the EU with breaking its commitment under the Doha Declaration on TRIPS three leading international organizations have sought corrections in the existing policies and a new approach towards the issue.

Dabur accuses US firm of infringing on its trademark

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi — 19-Nov-2009

FMCG major Dabur has alleged that US based company Aveda which manufactures and sells Ayurvedic cosmetic products is infringing on the trademark of its skincare range.

In healthcare we can at best play catch up with China

Pillman — 20-Nov-2009

Dan Vasella the chief executive of Swiss firm Novartis which has been struggling for the last five years to secure the patent rights in India on Glivec its therapy for a rare form of blood cancer called chronic myeloid leukemia has spoken again on the alleged gaps in the Indian patent system.

Patent Volume Isnt the Best Innovation Gauge

Michael Arndt — 22-Nov-2009

Patent volume based on new analysis isnt necessarily a valid proxy for innovation.

Fake Vicks Vaporabs tablets worth Rs 30L seized from medical stores in Karanj Shahpur

TNN — 22-Nov-2009

The Enforcers of Intellectual Property Rights officials working against copyright and trademark violations had got a tip off about infringement of the P&G products in Ahmedabad.

Experts confirm that RP had not reneged on its IP commitments

Economy — 23-Nov-2009

THE recently enacted Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines and the Quality and Affordable Medicine Act passed into law late last year are compliant with the countrys commitments to the World Trade Organization.

Fake Chinese drugs deluge mkt with Made in India tag

Soma Das — 23-Nov-2009

Barely four months after China made fake drugs with deceptive Made in India labels were seized in Nigeria more cases of spurious drugs are surfacing in the Indian market with alleged links to China.

AYUSH to take home remedies out to market

Aditya Dev — 23-Nov-2009

If those are found effective in subsequent trials the department will try to get the person forwarding it the methods patent and also devise ways to market the idea.

Drug seizure Govt to drag EU to WTO

Amiti Sen — 23-Nov-2009

India is preparing to file a case against the European Union at the World Trade Organisation for wrongful seizure of high quality Indian drugs at its ports while in transit to other destinations a commerce department official has said.

Medicis takes Lupin to US court on patent charge

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 23-Nov-2009

Alleges infringement of patent for dermatology medicine.

In the mesh of FTAs whither generics?

Priyanka Golikeri — 23-Nov-2009

All the three blocs are pressing for a measure called data exclusivity a period during which the innovator drug companys clinical trial data cannot be relied upon to register a generic exact off patent version of the innovator drug which is 40 80% cheaper.

Spencer Stuart Perspectives Leadership challenge looms for generics firms

Filomena Leonardi, Sachin Rajan and Claudia Schütz — 23-Nov-2009

With generic medicines already representing a large and growing share of the pharmaceutical market these companies are looking ahead to the patent expirations of tens of billions of dollars of branded drugs over the next several years.

India US ink pacts on Intellectual Property Rights

Betwa Sharma in Washington — 24-Nov-2009

India and United States on Monday signed two inter governmental agreements on Intellectual Property Rights to help prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge through mistaken issuance of patents.

Pharmexcils 2nd Patent Facilitation Centre to be set up at NIPER Mohali

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 25-Nov-2009

The Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council will launch its second Patent Facilitation Centre at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Mohali by the end of the month to provide patent related information for the exporters in Northern Region.

Novo Nordisk to launch range of insulin products in India

Sohini Das / Mumbai/ Ahmedabad — 25-Nov-2009

Denmark based Novo Nordisk a world leader in diabetes care is bullish on setting up robust clinical research functions and also leveraging the India opportunity in related fields such as data management and studying the patent situation of the medicines under development as well as shared services.

Lupin moves to block rival generics

K V Ramana — 25-Nov-2009

However after expiry of the patent that year the company took the drug off the market following which Lupin started selling its generic version.

Tread cautiously on bilateral investment treaties

PRABHASH RANJAN — 25-Nov-2009

For example most BITs and this includes BITs entered by India bind the host nation not to discriminate between foreign and national investments allow full repatriation of income in foreign exchange to the home country of the investor provide an extremely wide definition of foreign investment which includes portfolio investment and intellectual property rights and provide very high compensation criteria for both direct and indirect expropriations with very limited manoeuvrability to the host state.

EU ends four year probe into Qualcomm

By Nikki Tait in Brussels — 25-Nov-2009

Europes top competition regulator has ended a four year inquiry into patent royalty rates charged by Qualcomm after the remaining companies that had brought a complaint against the US mobile chipmaker withdrew.

Increased trade okay but FTA a difficult task

fe Bureaus — 25-Nov-2009

The US has very high expectations on compliance of intellectual property rights which goes beyond the prevision of the TRIPS agreement said RS Ratna professor Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

Chennai HC records 17 issues on Bajaj TVS dispute

T E Narasimhan / Chennai — 25-Nov-2009

Some of the issues raised by TVS include whether they infringe Bajajs patent if TVS is entitled to question the patent and if so, whether Bajajs patent is valid if Bajaj is entitled to claim damages whether a lean air fuel mixture combustion constitutes an essential element in the patent and so on.

Glenmark signs licensing deal with US firm

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 25-Nov-2009

A Glenmark official said on condition of anonymity that the company is exploring opportunities to licence out the newly patented acne treating antibiotic to firms in the European market.

Govt may give sops to drug exports avoiding Europe

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 25-Nov-2009

The European Union has been seizing Indian generic drugs en route Latin America and Africa citing patent violations.

The WIPO knife edge

Latha Jishnu — 26-Nov-2009

For well over a decade the chirpy sounding acronym for the WTOs agreement on intellectual property rights TRIPS has rolled familiarly off tongues albeit with fear and loathing in the developing world.

Broadcasters protest move to amend Copyright Act

TNN — 26-Nov-2009

Indian broadcasters have demanded immediate consultation on proposed amendments in the Copyright Act which they feel will completely skew the field against television and radio industries in fact could even jeopardise their survival while spelling windfall gains for monopolistic music companies and copyright societies.

Pfizer pins hopes on Aurobindo does not rule out Indian buys

C.R. Sukumar — 27-Nov-2009

To counter competition from generic drugs and impact of patent expiry Pfizer is implementing a three pronged strategy.

Ranbaxy set for Rs 1000 cr boost from Valtrex clone

K V Ramana — 27-Nov-2009

Gurgaon based Ranbaxy Laboratories has launched generic Valtrex tablets in the US over two years after it settled a patent dispute with GlaxoSmithKline and secured a 180 day sales exclusivity for it.

Supply of fake drugs grossly overstated

Radhieka Pandeya — 27-Nov-2009

Two intellectual property right issues are not involved.

Patent worries

Business Standard / New Delhi — 27-Nov-2009

Few people in this country understand how seriously Indias development as those of other Third World countries would be impacted by a stifling intellectual property regime.

The fall of the worlds best selling drug

By Andrew Jack — 28-Nov-2009

Once its patents expire in 2011 generic drug manufacturers will be able to sell it far more cheaply.

Many ills in draft Copyright Act

ET Bureau — 28-Nov-2009

The HRD ministrys proposals for amending the Copyright Act which are slated to be discussed by the Cabinet shortly contain provisos that will hurt the interests of artists and reduce the accountability of copyright societies.

Avon to gain from nod to Ranbaxys drug

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 29-Nov-2009

The company will supply the main active pharmaceutical ingredient for Valtrex.

The reality of free

Rajan Anandan — 30-Nov-2009

The company is the worlds largest holder of IP rights with 13400 patents worldwide but it also spends billions on its open innovation efforts under which it is working with the open source software community to facilitate faster and easier access to Microsoft technologies and IP.

City techie receives patent for anti virus software

SiddharthKelkar — 30-Nov-2009

A system that can curtail virus attacks on computer networks as well as minimise false alerts of attacks invented by city based computer expert received central government patent recently.

Revised Copyright Act to pinch broadcasters pockets

Ashish Sinha / New Delhi — 30-Nov-2009

These included tinkering with the fair use provisions of Section 52 insertion of Section 33A and changes in Section 31 among others.

Abbott gives Teva TriCor rights as early as 2011

The Associated Press — 30-Nov-2009

Pharmaceutical and medical products maker Abbott Laboratories and Laboratories Fournier SA granted intellectual property rights for the cholesterol medication TriCor to Teva Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday.

Depomed sues Indias Lupin for patent infringement

Esha Dey in Bangalore — 30-Nov-2009

Drug developer Depomed Inc said it filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against Indias Lupin Ltd alleging that Lupins application to market a generic version of Depomeds diabetes drug Glumetza infringed its patents.

Suven gets patents from EPO for 3 drugs

Press Trust of India / Mumbai — 30-Nov-2009

Pharmaceutical firm Suven Life Sciences today said the European Patent Office has issued three patents to its chemical entities which are used in treating nerve disorders.

Fake medicine sale rampant cops helpless

Express News Service — 1-Dec-2009

Fake drugs are sold rampantly in the state.

Troikaa Pharma gets patent in Australia for Diclofenac painkiller injections

Our Bureau, Mumbai — 01-Dec-2009

Troikaa Pharmaceuticals Ltd a fast growing healthcare company has been granted patent in Australia for its novel drug delivery form of Diclofenac injections Dynapar AQ the worlds first painless painkiller injection.

Cipla in drug supply talks with Pfizer

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 02-Dec-2009

Pfizer after sluggish growth in its speciality and patented pharmaceutical business in the developed markets has been aggressive on the generic or off patented drugs business.

Gilead set to benefit from HIV guidelines

By Andrew Jack in London — 02-Dec-2009

Yusuf Hamied head of Cipla the Indian generics company that is one of the largest providers of stavudine and other HIV treatments dismissed the financial impact pointing out that he could also sell Gileads principal drug in developing countries after overturning the US companys patent on tenofovir in India.

Sunny re rating of pharma companies

B G Shirsat & Ashok Divase / Mumbai — 2-Dec-2009

It is aiming at entering the market with a new biotech product off patent and with a market size of $5 billion.

Japans largest drug maker Takeda plans India foray

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 02-Dec-2009

Besides Takedas best selling anti diabetic anti diabetic medicine Actos will lose patent protection in 2011.

Copyright draft is tough on covers

Nivedita Mookerji — 2-Dec-2009

Broadcasting organisations will have to give prior notice to the Copyright Board for airing published literary or musical work.

Japans top pharma comes calling

MG Arun — 2-Dec-2009

In March this year Pfizer entered into an agreement with Aurobindo Pharma to market drugs that are no longer patent protected and dont have market exclusivity in the US and Europe.

Doha progress only with new market access: US

D Ravi Kanth / Geneva — 2-Dec-2009

Meanwhile India Brazil and South Africa yesterday decided to pool their energies for adopting common positions on all issues pertaining to WTO and World Intellectual Properties Organization.

Pfizer Cipla in Aurobindo redux plan

K V Ramana — 2-Dec-2009

Drug maker Cipla could soon be supporting the strategies of global pharma giant Pfizer for expanding its footprint and protecting its business interests as many of its drugs go off patent.

Technology Of Hope

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw — 3-Dec-2009

A large number of blockbuster drugs are also set to go off patent giving the sector here tremendous opportunities.

Commerce ministry plans to add booster dose to border scrutiny to check spurious drug exports

Soma Das — 04-Dec-2009

After the health ministry declared the domestic pharma market largely free of spurious and substandard drugs the commerce ministry now wants to step up the vigil at the checkpoints to scrutinise pharma export consignments and assess the quantum of spurious drugs that could be leaving the country and ascertain whether such channels of spurious drugs exist.

Bridging the gap on clean technology

Padmaparna Ghosh — 04-Dec-2009

Developed nations say it will destroy the incentive for innovation.

Bata drags Relaxo to court over brand infringement

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 04-Dec-2009

Footwear major Bata today dragged its rival Relaxo Footwear before the Delhi High Court alleging infringement of one of its popular brand Sparx.

Kodak Sells OLED Business To LG, Cos Will Share Patents

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES — 04-Dec-2009

Eastman Kodak Co. agreed to sell its organic light emitting diode business to a group of South Koreas LG companies and also said it has an agreement with LG Electronics Inc. that will allow each company broad access to the others patent portfolio.

Data exclusivity study draws flak from Indian drug industry

Khomba Singh — 5-Dec-2009

The industrys main objection is the fact that the study is being carried out by the Delhi based law firm Anand and Anand who has regularly represented global pharma companies in patent disputes besides being a member of the Satwant Committee an industry excessive said.

Drug trial data issue invites pharma fire

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 5-Dec-2009

The controversial issue of exclusivity of drug trial data which saw overseas multinational companies and Indian pharma companies taking opposite positions is back on the table.

Our negotiating position has strengthened: Jairam

Nitin Sethi — 5-Dec-2009

The same IPR issues that dominated the pharmaceutical debate are now coming to dominate the climate change debate.

News broadcasters oppose amendment of copyright laws

Ashish Sinha / New Delhi — 5-Dec-2009

The issue of proposed amendments to the existing Copyright Act 1957 is becoming a flash point between broadcasters and the Ministry of Human Resource Development with news broadcasters asking the government to take them into confidence before undertaking any amendment to the law.

Cephalon files patent lawsuit against Teva for armodafinil tabs

Frazer, Pennsylvania — 5-Dec-2009

Cephalon Inc has filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Delaware against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc for infringement of US Patent Nos. 7132570 the 570 Patent 7297346 the 346 Patent and RE37516 the 516 Patent for the Cephalon product Nuvigil armodafinil Tablets.

Data exclusivity study draws flak from Indian drug industry

Khomba Singh — 06-Dec-2009

A WHO official asking not be named as he is not the authorised spokesman said: Neither the TRIPs or the Doha declaration mention data exclusivity.

Intellectual Property Right is a social crime

DNA,Ahmedabad — 06-Dec-2009

There was a time when knowledge was imparted freely.

Column : Buzz in pharma biz

MG Arun — 7-Dec-2009

Their profitability is under pressure owing to patent expiries challenges in pricing and falling R&D productivity.

India to take on EU over drug seizures

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 7-Dec-2009

The seizures were made for alleged patent law violations as some of these drugs are still under protection in European countries.

Bill seeks to make trademark registrations easier

Our Bureau — 7-Dec-2009

A Bill seeking to amend the Trade Marks Act 1999 with a view to enabling Indian nationals as well as foreign nationals to secure simultaneous protection of trademarks in other countries was tabled in Parliament on Friday.

Our growth does not depend on acquisitions’

BV Mahalakshmi — 7-Dec-2009

Established products are medicines that have lost patent exclusivity or are close to losing exclusivity.

Trademarks sans borders

Editorial — 8-Dec-2009

It is only logical that countries that adhere to a philosophy of open trade must also recognise trademarks registered in one country to be universally applicable across markets.

US Gilead appeals against patent rejection of AIDS drug Viread

Khomba Singh — 8-Dec-2009

US drug company Gilead Sciences has filed an appeal in the Indian Intellectual Property Appellate Board to challenge a recent order by an Indian Patent Office that rejected two patent claims for its best seller drug Viread tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.

Indian IP firm adjudged best in Asia Pacific

Our Bureau — 9-Dec-2009

J Trivedi & Co an Ahmedabad based law firm specialising in intellectual property rights and patent related issues has emerged the Highly Commended Law Firm of the Year in the Asia Pacific region at the 2009 World Leaders International IP Awards.

HIV patent pool hobbles as drug firms want India China excluded

Priyanka Golikeri — 9-Dec-2009

Efforts to bring together nine global drugmakers to pool their HIV patents in order to make available treatment to millions living with HIV AIDS in the developing world seem to have faltered over a crucial issue the inclusion of middle income countries such as India and China in the list of beneficiaries.

Do we need data exclusivity ?

Business Standard / New Delhi — 9-Dec-2009

The term DE is new to India as it does not figure in the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement of the WTO.

Ranbaxy admits to infringement of Purdues Oxcontin patent in US

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 10-Dec-2009

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc the US subsidiary of the Gurgaon based Ranbaxy Laboratories has reportedly admitted infringement of the US based Purdue Pharmas patent for the blockbuster drug Oxycontin in the District Court for the Southern District of New York US.

Satyam Upaid in $70 million settlement Deloitte is auditor

Lison Joseph — 10-Dec-2009

The settlement requires the British firm to give Mahindra Satyam a worldwide royalty free licence to all its patents besides withdrawing all pending legal actions initiated by it.

Who owns the eggplant?

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 10-Dec-2009

What would be the nature of intellectual property rights that the developers would enjoy given that the technology is owned by Mahyco a company in which Monsanto has a 26 per cent stake and how soon would the universities be allowed to release their seeds?

FTAs could hurt farmers too

Priyanka Golikeri — 11-Dec-2009

After generic drugmakers its the farmers who are feeling the heat of the intellectual property regime.

IT firms focus on patents to widen revenue window

Surabhi Agarwal — 11-Dec-2009

This is a game changer for the companies showing how far they have traveled from just adapting software off the shelves as they aggressively try to acquire intellectual property rights to fuel future revenue growth.

Pfizer sues Dr Reddys over Lipitor patent

Phil Milford / Bloomberg — 11-Dec-2009

Dr Reddys had notified Pfizer in October that it was seeking US Food and Drug Administration permission to sell copies of Lipitor and that the patent wasnt infringed according to the lawsuit

History of Jeans Modi\'fied Denim Denim ka Bandhan

TNN , TOI Crest — 12-Dec-2009

He teamed up with Strauss and the two received US Patent 139121 for their rivetted and rivetting product.

Apple hits back at Nokia in patent war

By Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Andrew Parker in,London — 12-Dec-2009

Applefiled a countersuit against Nokia yesterday claiming that the Finnish company has pursued anti competitive practices and infringed 13 of its patents.

Recession hits patent filings in US fall 2.3% in 09

Press Trust of India — 13-Dec-2009

The financial crisis has not only rattled the US economy but seems to have also choked innovations among the Americans with patent filings declining for the first time in over a decade in 2009.

Indian pharma industry can improve share in global market

Express News Service — 13-Dec-2009

The Indian pharmaceutical companies are already lining up the US FDA office to get patent on the first to file basis of the drugs which will get off patented in 2012.

NGOs slam move to keep India out of patent pool

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 13-Dec-2009

Indian civil society organisations have opposed a reported move by global drug procurement agency UNITAID to exclude countries such as China Brazil and India from a proposed patent pool for AIDS drugs.

Indian drugs face EU music

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 13-Dec-2009

Indian medicine accounted for over 50 per cent of all drug seizures in Europe for intellectual property rights violation last year.

India to maintain edge in generics

BS Reporter / Chennai/ Hyderabad — 14-Dec-2009

Bad reputation on quality of medicines exported from India and weak combat mechanisms from the government to weed out counterfeit medicines in the international society are the bottlenecks for the Indian pharmaceutical companies to grow in Japan according to Kenji Toda chairman Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.

Wipo goes green for domain name dispute resolution

PTI — 14-Dec-2009

Amid the ongoing global debate on climate change the World Intellectual Property Organisation has said it will launch paperless procedures in matters relating to domain name dispute from Monday.

Bangalore scores an A in Biotech

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw — 14-Dec-2009

Offering fiscal incentives to the tune of Rs400 crore and benefits such as investment promotion subsidy interest free loan on VAT and financial support for patent registration the policy goes to show the strong support the sector receives from the government.

Consideration for use of copyright is not royalty

HP Agarwal / New Delhi — 14-Dec-2009

In many cases foreign companies grant access to Indian companies for using their data base and other copyrighted material.

Technology transfer development pact to be feather on Indias cap

Urmi A Goswami — 14-Dec-2009

The poorer countries will also get support for the deployment and diffusion of environmentally safe and sound technologies efforts to leverage public and private investment in technology incremental costs of soft and hard technologies for implementation of adaptation and mitigation purchasing of licences and other intellectual property rights issues.

Suven Life gets patent in Canada for two new chemical entities

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 14-Dec-2009

Drug maker Suven Life Sciences today said it has recieved patent for two new chemical entities used in the treatment of diseases like Parkinson and schizophrenia from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

Court pulls up Microsoft for forum hiring

Our Bureau — 15-Dec-2009

The Delhi High Court has asked software major Microsoft to shell out Rs 8 lakh as cost security for deliberately choosing Delhi to file copyright violation cases despite having offices in cities where the offences were allegedly committed by opposite parties.

FM III may say whats not news

Nivedita Mookerji — 15-Dec-2009

The HRD ministry was late in giving its input over issues related to copyright and intellectual property rights a source pointed out.

Glenmark may settle with Merck on cholesterol drug

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 15-Dec-2009

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd may settle with US firm Merck Schering Plough Pharmaceuticals Llc resulting in the withdrawal of patent litigations related to the launch of a copy of the latters $1.6 billion in sales drug ezetimibe in the US market next year according to a report released by First Global Securities Ltd last week.

India fourth largest illegal downloader

IANS — 15-Dec-2009

According to their findings India trails only the US Britain and Canada in online copyright infringement.

Trademark case: Interim injunction favours Witco

Our Bureau — 15-Dec-2009

Witco a multi-brand travel accessories retailer with stores in Chennai Bangalore and Kerala has got a breather from the Madras High Court in a trademark infringement case.

Health Ministrys nod to WHO for a study on data exclusivity raises concern

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 16-Dec-2009

The union health ministrys move has raised eyebrows among the patient community and the public interest groups in the country as they view that data exclusivity could prevent the registration of low cost quality generic versions of medicines even when there is no patent on a medicine when a drug does not meet the standards for patentability.

HUL to pay 1% of net sales as trademark royalty

TNN — 16-Dec-2009

Hindustan Unilever Ltd has entered into a fresh trademark licence agreement with its parent company Unilever under which the Indian subsidiary will pay royalty of 1% on net sales of specific brands whose trademark is owned by the Anglo Dutch parent company.

Patent pool for AIDS gets UNITAIDs approval

Radhieka Pandeya — 16-Dec-2009

In a relief for civil society and stakeholders from India Unitaid the international facility for the purchase of drugs against HIV AIDS has included middle income countries such as India in the pool

Cipla in talks to supply drugs to Germanys BI

Khomba Singh — 16-Dec-2009

Global innovator pharma majors are expected to see a drop in sales in the next 2 3 years because the patent on their top selling drugs would expire and they dont have a strong research pipeline to supplement the revenue loss.

The Indian Dream

Vivek Wadhwa — 16-Dec-2009

We calculated that foreign nationals residing in the US were named as inventors or co inventors in one quarter of WIPO patent applications filed from the US in 2006.

U.S. Patents Take a Fall

By Michael Arndt — 17-Dec-2009

Hurt by smaller R&D budgets and offshoring U.S. patent applications fell this year and Yankees are winning fewer grants than non residents

Lok Sabha nod to amended trademark law

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 18-Dec-2009

A person seeking global trade mark now need not apply for it in several countries incurring a big cost as Lok Sabha today amended the trade mark law to simplify the procedures.

HC permits Madras Fertilizers agent to use trade name Vijay Agro

Our Legal Correspondent — 19-Dec-2009

The Madras High Court in its interim order on an original application of the State owned Madras Fertilizers Ltd has permitted a firm in Erode district of Tamil Nadu to use the trade name Vijay Agro from February 1 2010 in selling its product mixture fertiliser.

Dr Reddys plans to launch Lipitors generic version in US

Press Trust Of India / Hyderabad — 21-Dec-2009

Under the new drug application submitted to the US drug regulators approval Para IV filing are those which seeks nod for launching the drug before expiry of patent.

India to be part of patent pool for HIV drugs clarifies UNITAID

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi — 21-Dec-2009

UNITAID which hast just voted to create a patent pool for HIV AIDS drugs with the aim of bringing down the prices of medicines for this dreaded disease has clarified that India will also be included in the pool.

Outsourcing steroid for Indian pharma firms

B G Shirsat & P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 21-Dec-2009

Daiichi Sankyo owned Ranbaxy Laboratories struggling with its US business due to manufacturing discrepancies at two of its Indian units is also likely to recover in future with drug supply deals and exclusivities as part of patent case settlements with drug majors said analysts.

Abbott Sues Sandoz Over Patent for Muscle Relaxant Nimbex

By Phil Milford — 22-Dec-2009

Abbott Laboratories a diversified healthcare product maker accused Sandoz Inc. of infringing a patent for the muscle relaxant Nimbex by seeking approval to market a generic copy of the drug in the U.S.

Five years on patent regime implementation still needs work

P.T.Jyothi Datta — 22-Dec-2009

It was on the eve of January 2005 that an Ordinance was issued to amend the Patent Act 1970 and bring in a regime that would honour product patents.

Sanofi to acquire Chattem expand presence in US

Bloomberg — 22-Dec-2009

Hes also looking beyond branded drugs and the search for new blockbusters to businesses that are less subject to patent expirations

Pharma 2009: No medicine to cure adversity

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 22-Dec-2009

Indian pharma industry found that it had no medicine to cure adversities that came its way in 2009 when it battled shipment seizures by EU authorities tightened US regulations Chinese drug piracy and currency fluctuations.

Microsoft Loses Lawsuit But Word Likely to Stay

David Coursey — 22-Dec-2009

First the good news: No you won have to turn in your copies of Office 2007 even now that Microsoft has lost its appeal of a lawsuit brought by the Canadian company i4i.

Lupin settles litigation with Forest Labs for Alzheimers drug

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 23-Dec-2009

Lupin Ltd has settled all its ongoing patent litigation with US based Forest Laboratories on the Alzheimers disease treatment drug Namenda memantine tablets.

Pharma cos want govt to question European seizure statistics

Soma Das — 23-Dec-2009

Apart from goading the Centre to move the WTO against the recent drug seizures in Europe the domestic pharma industry is also urging the government to officially question the statistical claims of the European Commission that project India as a major source of counterfeit drugs.

WTO rules against China; Victory for US

Press Trust Of India / Washington — 23-Dec-2009

The WTO Appellate Body yesterday held that China was obstructing trade by forcing foreign suppliers to distribute certain copyright intensive products through state owned companies which is inconsistent with the Beijings obligations with the WTO.

Opposition slams government on Copenhagen Accord

Gargi Parsai — 23-Dec-2009

Mr. Yechury described the financial commitments under the accord as woolly and said the Intellectual Property Rights regime on transfer technology was effectively negated in the accord.

Troikaa Pharma to put Sanand plan on hold till December 2010

Sohini Das / Mumbai/ Ahmedabad — 23-Dec-2009

Expects to get patent approvals for Dynapar AQ in 99 countries in six months

Do drug prices need control?

BS Bureau — 23-Dec-2009

This is essential for the proper implementation of Indian patent law safeguards that facilitate the local production of low cost generic versions of patented medicines and vaccines through government use licences.

Indian American works new way to save refineries billions

IANS — 23-Dec-2009

Purdue has filed a patent application for the new crude distillation sequences.

Top drug firms take in licensing route to up sales

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 24-Dec-2009

Most of the in licensed products by Indian companies are niche innovative patented drugs that are selling well in the US and Europe and are made by medium scale players in those countries.

Citys top pubs hotels served notices for not paying music licence fee

Express News Service — 24-Dec-2009

Under the statutory sanction of section 35 of the Indian Copyright Act playing commercial music in public without paying the requisite licence fee is liable to contempt of court.

Copyright aggression

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 24-Dec-2009

Microsofts methods of protecting copyright have been slammed by the court as abuse of its money power.

AFDIL sues Fizikem Labs for trademark infringement of its Beplex Forte

Our Bureau, Bangalore — 24-Dec-2009

Anglo French Drugs & Industries Limited has resorted to legal proceedings against the Baddi based Fizikem Laboratories for trademark infringement of its flagship brand Beplex Forte.

Eisai bets big on India

BV Mahalakshmi — 24-Dec-2009

Incidentally the companys flagship product Aricept used for treating Alzheimers diseases and contributing close to $3.2 billion of the total revenue of $8.6 billion is going off patent in 2010.

Patent office braces for surge in applications

P.T. Jyothi Datta — 24-Dec-2009

The Indian Patent Office is set to address the shortage in patent examiners and the standardised implementation of the Patents Amendment Act 2005 as it braces for the increasing flood of patent applications.

Indoco eyes US Europe markets; will sign four contract research treaties soon

Reghu Balakrishnan — 24-Dec-2009

The company is in the process of submitting abbreviated new drug applications ANDAs with the USFDA for the products proposed for marketing.

New bill to amend copyright laws music to creators ears

Indo Asian News Service — 24-Dec-2009

Musicians writers and film directors who were earlier exploited by producers and music companies can now hope to reclaim commercial rights to their works and earn royalty from them.

Govt in pre Xmas reforms drive

BS Reporter / New Delhi — 25-Dec-2009

The amendments to the domestic Copyright Act would bring it in conformity with the World Intellectual Property Organisation Internet Treaties WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty which have set the international standards in these spheres.

Two GM varieties of wheat developed by Indian co registered

Prabha Jagannathan — 26-Dec-2009

The new wheat varieties are being registered under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act which meets all the requirements under the TRIPS agreement for intellectual property rights for plants.

Amgen wins recombinant erythropoietin patent dispute against Roche

Thousand Oaks, California — 26-Dec-2009

Amgen announced that the United States District Court in Boston has entered final judgment and a permanent injunction against Roche prohibiting Roche from infringing Amgens patents on recombinant erythropoietin thus bringing the five year patent infringement dispute to an end.

Generics cos in the cold as big pharma has its way in US

REUTERS — 26-Dec-2009

The massive US Senate healthcare reform measure passed on Thursday with support from the multibillion drug industry but makers of cheaper generic rivals are feeling left out in the cold.

India gives EU another chance to settle drug seizure case

Amiti Sen — 26-Dec-2009

These seizures violate the international patent agreement Trips as the drugs being confiscated are off patent both in India and the countries it was being exported to the official said.

Roche eyes acquisitions in India

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 27-Dec-2009

What holds us back is the patent protection system in the country which needs improvement Agarwal points out.

Pharma PSUs: Caught between public interest and commercial goals

Gireesh Chandra Prasad — 28-Dec-2009

Secondly if the government has to break a patent held by a private company that refuses to sell a drug at an affordable price it should have a state entity to rely on for making a copy of the costly private sector brand.

Emerging Middle Class Nations

Sanjaya Baru / New Delhi — 28-Dec-2009

Goldman Sachs may want to patent its term BRIC for Brazil Russia India and China that lie at the core of the new middle.

Fairchild Infineon settle patent lawsuits

by Divya Sharma in Bangalore — 29-Dec-2009

Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc said it reached a patent settlement deal with Infineon Technologies and that it entered into a cross license deal with the company.

Spreadsheet

fe Bureau — 29-Dec-2009

This is because the patent law has limited the number of patented medicines which has reduced the scope of import of formulations.

CSIR set to recruit patent examiners

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 29-Dec-2009

The patent office had been so far relying on govt agencies for recruitment

Global mobile market turns into a legal battleground

New York Times — 29-Dec-2009

When Nokia the worlds largest maker of mobile phones sued Apple Samsung LG and eight other competitors within six weeks beginning in October it said it was conducting a routine defense of its intellectual property.

Lupin eyes acquisitions to gain market share

Radhieka Pandeya — 29-Dec-2009

We will get there through the organic and inorganic growth route and in licensing products especially patented products that have no presence in India said Chakraborty.

Music industry cheers royalty bonanza

Indo Asian News Service — 29-Dec-2009

The Rs.740 crore Rs.7.4 billion Indian music industry is cheering the cabinets decision to amend the Copyright Act of 1957 that will fetch royalty to composers singers lyricists et al.

Indian sweets drinks and clothes get copyrights

Siddharth Kumar/PTI / New Delhi — 29-Dec-2009

Places famous for their food drink or clothes like Tirupati Ladu Goa Feni and Banarsi Saree from much before the days of copyrights and trademarks won the exclusive right to use these names in 2009.

Depomed files second Para IV infringement suit against Lupin on Glumetza patent

Gireesh Babu, Mumbai — 30-Dec-2009

The US based Depomed Inc has filed one more Para IV patent infringement suit against the Mumbai based Lupin Pharmaceuticals and its US subsidiary alleging infringement of four patents on its anti diabetic pill Glumetza in the District Court of Maryland.

US Bill a challenge for Indian generic firms

Manas Chakravarty, Ravi Ananthanarayanan and Vatsala Kamat — 30-Dec-2009

Initially companies were fighting the patent challenge battles in court.

Nokia steps up smartphone patent battle

By Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Maija Palmer in,London — 30-Dec-2009

Nokia escalated its patent dispute with rival Apple over smartphone technology yesterday filing a complaint with the US International Trade Commission.

Industry flays IPR pact with WIPO

Gireesh Chandra Prasad, KG Narendranath — 30-Dec-2009

The governments plan to take the help of the World Intellectual Property Organisation a UN arm to put into action an intellectual property rights strategy has met with strong disapproval from a section of the local pharma industry which suspects the arrangement would benefit only multinational patent holders.

Drugmaker has unique model to compete with rivals

By John O\'Doherty — 30-Dec-2009

But Jordan based Hikma has managed to create a business from selling both generic medicines and drugs that are still under patent to other pharma groups.

South Korean trade pact with India going into effect

IANS — 30-Dec-2009

The agreement which is similar to a free trade agreement and covers trade in goods and services and investments along with chapters on competition and intellectual property rights also includes phased eliminations of other tariffs most notably in the car industry.

Nokias latest patent strike on Apple a risk but may pay off

Brett Young — 30-Dec-2009

Nokias latest patent strike against Apple underscores the changing dynamics of the cell phone market with the sector leader no longer holding the whip hand over rivals in terms of product development.

Geographical Indication move to boost Ceylon Tea

By Nizla Naizer — 30-Dec-2009

The tea industry in Sri Lanka is moving one step closer to protecting the value of Ceylon Tea by deciding to obtain a Geographical Indication for the commodity from the World Trade Organisation.

No copyright music without licence this year

Amit Sharma — 30-Dec-2009

Pubs and discotheques will have to dance to the tune of the music industry to go ahead with their high voltage New Year parties thanks to a Bombay High Court order on Wednesday that barred hotels and other commercial establishments in the city from playing copyright music without licence.

Reliance Life ups stake in GeneMedix to 79%

Sreejiraj Eluvangal — 31-Dec-2009

GeneMedix is primarily into making biosimilars biopharmaceutical drugs that have emerged out of their patent period and was acquired by Mukesh Ambani in 2007 with an eye to on two of its products EPO and GCSF.

Top grosser 3 Idiots to fund real life inventors

Samar Halarnkar — 31-Dec-2009

Its generated 220 patent applications in India and one in the US.

Google plays games after patent application

Martin Waller: City Diary — 31-Dec-2009

Is YouTube the worlds biggest online video portal also planning on setting up some sort of gaming service?

India EU free trade talks enter key phase

Asit Ranjan Mishra — 31-Dec-2009

Small groups have already met on sanitary and phyto sanitary measures investment and intellectual property rights he said.

U.S. panel to probe Richtek patent charges

by Diane Bartz — 31-Dec-2009

A U.S. trade court has agreed to investigate Richtek Technology Corps charges that Advanced Micro Devices and other companies violated its patents for power supply regulating devices.

Innovation culture still absent

P.T. JYOTHI DATTA — 31-Dec-2009

Protecting intellectual property can be an incentive to spur innovative work which helps drive research in areas where few others tread.

Paris Hilton sued by shoe company

ANI — 31-Dec-2009

According to documents filed last week New York based firm Gwyneth Shoes are suing Hilton for trademark and patent infringement.

A new prescription

Radhieka Pandeya — 01-Jan-2010

In what is referred to as the patent cliff starting in 2010 and running up to 2012 innovator pharmaceutical companies are set to lose billions of dollars from patent expiries of some of their hottest drugs.

News on Royalty payment brings cheer in new year

Kumkum Sen / New Delhi — 2-Jan-2010

The Patent Act 1970 was conducive to methods such as reverse engineering and incremental adaptation leading to inefficient and unrealistic self reliance.

Pharma cos see opportunity in India

P.T. Jyothi Datta — 2-Jan-2010

This year marks five years since the Patent Law was amended to respect product patents.

Patent regime set for fresh changes

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 03-Jan-2010

Quality of applications to improve as most old applications have been cleared.

A prescription for soul

Jumana Shah & Himansh Dhomse — 03-Jan-2010

Now I have a vision that India and particularly Cadila should work on new molecules and patent them.

Puneri Pagdi obtains geographical indication status

By Shivaji (ANI) — 03-Jan-2010

Shree Puneri Pagdi Sangha recently managed to obtain geographical indication status for the famed Puneri Pagadi the traditional headgear of Maharashtrians and thus ensure its conservation.

Copyrights mired in grey

Alisha Coelho — 03-Jan-2010

3 Idiots controversy has opened the intellectual property rights can of worms. Lifting plots or tunes is punishable... but its still only on paper say lawyers

Indian drug makers maintain pace of US marketing approvals

P B Jayakumar / Mumbai — 4-Jan-2010

Twenty five Indian generic drug makers got a little over 200 approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009 half a dozen more than the number approved in 2008.

Web portal owner held for uploading Jaggubai

Express News Service — 4-Jan-2010

The CCC deleted the film from all from the websites and arrested the owner of www.cine-entertainment.com Shankerganesh in Coimbatore on Saturday and booked him under the Indian Information Technology Act and the Indian Copyright Act.

Ranbaxy launches dermatological product Lulifin

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 04-Jan-2010

It is well recognised that in the post patent era licensing would be the key strategy to bring new chemical entities to India.

Indias Cipla in drug supply talks with GSK Teva

By Farah Master — 04-Jan-2010

But Hamied said that WTO regulations which since 2005 have prevented Indian generic drug firms from copying patented drugs mean Indian generic companies have to change their business model or risk being swallowed up by multinational firms.

Rich & poor countries now dont agree on biodiversity

ET Bureau — 5-Jan-2010

Some 2000 patents related to the Indian system of medicine are granted every year by the US Trade and Patents Office European Patents Office and other overseas patent offices.

Marico acquires Malaysian hair care brand Code 10 from Colgate

ET Bureau — 5-Jan-2010

The acquisition by Maricos Malaysian unit estimated to be about Rs 25 crore by analysts also gets intellectual property rights related to the brand from Colgate Palmolive.

CA rules in PALs favor in infringement case

Joel R. San Juan / Reporter — 05-Jan-2010

THE Court of Appeals has ordered the dismissal of the 18 year old infringement case filed against flag carrier Philippine Airlines by a textile manufacturer for the alleged illegal use of her patented shell designs on table linens and placemats in its commercial flights.

India documents traditional formulations yoga postures

STAFF WRITER — 5-Jan-2010

TKDL is an effort to protect our traditional knowledge mainly traditional medicine and yoga postures from misappropriation through patents granted abroad as had happened with the use of neem and haldi Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told reporters.

Novartis to get leg up in India with Alcon buy

P B Jayakumar & Praveen Bose / Mumbai/ Bangalore — 5-Jan-2010

Will get access to large distribution network in eyecare segment.

Why piling eye drops high can make a lot of sense to Novartis

Dominic Walsh: Tempus — 5-Jan-2010

However a quick glance at the likely patent expiries among the leading pharmaceutical companies in 2010 explains why Novartis may pay top dollar for eye drops.

Free copyright control to help blind students: Xaviers Resource Centre

Mayura Janwalkar — 6-Jan-2010

An amendment in copyright laws is needed to bring about this awareness.

SC rejects Pernod Ricards plea in trademark violation case

Indu Bhan — 6-Jan-2010

In a set back to global alcoholic giant Pernod Ricard SA France the Supreme Court has rejected its claim of exclusivity over usage of the word Imperial thus allowing other liquor manufacturers to use it in their respective brands.

Dr Reddys poised to gain from new drug

Ravi Ananthanarayanan and Manas Chakravarty — 6-Jan-2010

The drug will lose patent protection in the US in 2011.

India for one binding deal on use of bio resources

Our Bureau — 6-Jan-2010

Bio piracy is going to be the new battle ground for the rich and poor countries.

Pfizer to source 40 off patent cancer care drugs from Strides

BS Reporter / Bangalore — 7-Jan-2010

Global pharma major Pfizer is to source source 40 off patent cancer care products from Bangalore based Strides Arcolab and sell the products in the United States.

We dont want MNCs to patent Indian traditional knowledge

Rediff — 07-Jan-2010

Multinational companies will now find it very difficult to patent products made by using Indian traditional knowledge of science.

Copyrights and wrongs

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi — 7-Jan-2010

The 3 Idiots spat is not really about violation of authors rights by filmmakers moral or otherwise.

Pharma industry urges govt to withdraw WHO study on data exclusivity

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai — 7-Jan-2010

This the industry feels is an attempt on the part of the multinational companies to get monopoly by creating a new IP Right.

Wockhardt gets tentative nod from US FDA

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 7-Jan-2010

The patent covering this product is under litigation in the US courts.

Stay awake drugs second act focus on battling jet lag

Andrew Pollack — 8-Jan-2010

For Cephalon a drug company in Frazer Pennsylvania with a reputation for aggressive business tactics the approval for jet lag is part of a plan to extend the patent protection for its core franchise in stay awake drugs.

Government creates patent watchdog

By Jonathan Moules — 08-Jan-2010

The government has created an intellectual property regulator to ensure that those using lawyers to set up patent and trade mark protection get a fair service and appropriate redress when things go wrong.

Robust growth in auto sales may fuel fake components market

Aveek Datta and Tarun Shukla — 8-Jan-2010

Pankaj Chadha director of automotive practice at Ernst and Young India says the spread of fake parts is the biggest disincentive for a multinational to step into India because it loses control over its intellectual property rights.

Challenges to domestic drug patents grow

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 8-Jan-2010

Domestic drug companies who have been challenging drug patents in the US and Europe are now taking the first steps to challenge patents granted in India to companies based there.

Pfizer Strides Arcolab enter pact to sell generic drugs in US

C.H. Unnikrishnan — 8-Jan-2010

The move would further bolster Pfizers stake in the generics market 40 off patent products expected to be delivered.

Microsoft appeals Word patent case once more

by Bill Rigby — 08-Jan-2010

Microsoft asks full panel of judges to review case.

AstraZeneca heads off Nexium threat with Teva deal

Ben Hirschler — 8-Jan-2010

Anglo Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca Plc settled a US patent row over Nexium with Israels Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on Thursday protecting its top selling heartburn drug from immediate generic competition.

Counterfeiting piracy leave deep holes in firms pockets

BS Reporter / Chennai/ Bangalore — 9-Jan-2010

The industry estimates that 20 per cent of the drugs available in the market today are spurious.

Creative rights v/s copyright

Subhash K Jha — 9-Jan-2010

Its about creative rights copyright the relationship between cinema and literature and between the world of words and visuals.

Roches cancer drug loses protection

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 9-Jan-2010

Likely test case with courts yet to rule on patent challenge from generic manufacturers.

Delhi HC rejects B Brauns plea

Khomba Singh — 9-Jan-2010

The German company was granted patent for manufacturing and marketing safety IV cannula in India in September 2007.

NRIs invited to invest in pharmaceutical sector

Our Bureau — 10-Jan-2010

Azad points to drugs worth $80 going off patent.

Rush begins to become patent agents

Joe C Mathew / New Delhi — 10-Jan-2010

There has been a sharp increase in the number of graduates who want to qualify as patent agents the intermediates between patent applicants and the patent office.

India: A nation develops

By Joe Leahy — 10-Jan-2010

During the same decade the number of patent applications soared to 500 a year by 2007 the study found.

NSE seeks trademark for currency derivatives label

Press Trust of India / New Delhi — 10-Jan-2010

The National Stock Exchange has applied before authorities for registration of trademark for its Currency Derivatives label.

Japan may open up to Indian generics

Amiti Sen & Khomba Singh — 11-Jan-2010

Japan has veered round to considering Indias demand to open up its over $100 billion pharmaceutical market to Indian generic or off patent drug producers after four years of dogged resistance a government official involved in the talks said.

Mahableshwar strawberry awaits its special status

Anuradha Mane, Gitesh Shelke — 11-Jan-2010

Nearly 1500 strawberry farmers from Mahabaleshwar and surrounding areas have applied for a geographical indication status for their strawberries.

Natco to launch cancer drug as min stays DCGI order

Khomba Singh — 11-Jan-2010

Natco has filed a pre grant opposition on Abraxis patent for its drug in India.

Trademarks and their licensing to preserve the distinctiveness of the brand

AZB and Partners — 11-Jan-2010

A major criterion for choosing a specific brand is the goodwill that the brand has

Novartis gets patent for cancer drug

PB Jayakumar / Mumbai — 11-Jan-2010

Swiss drug manufacturer Novartis AG has been granted patent protection in India for Nilotinib a superior version of blood cancer drug Gleevec.

Dr. Reddys AstraZeneca may settle patent case out of court

PTI — 11-Jan-2010

Dr Reddys Laboratories long standing patent dispute with Europes AstraZeneca over a drug to treat heartburn may be resolved out of court following a similar settlement between the European drug maker and Israels Teva feel market watchers.

Novartis gains on getting patent right

BS Reporter / Mumbai — 11-Jan-2010

Novartis finally ended with a Rs 21 or 3.6% gain at Rs 590.

Biodiversity Forum expresses concern over biopiracy

Roy Mathew — 11-Jan-2010

According to an official release of the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests about 2000 patents related to the Indian Systems of Medicine are granted every year in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office the European Patent Office and other overseas patent offices.

Patent expiries set to knock drug group profits

By Andrew Jack in London — 11-Jan-2010

Patent expiries in the coming years on some of the worlds top selling medicines will have an unexpectedly large impact on profits because of margins which can reach nearly 90 per cent a US investment analyst has warned.

Spurious drugmakers harm countrys image says Azad

Staff Reporter — 11-Jan-2010

In the event of drugs worth $80 billion going off patent Mr. Azad urged industry heads to seize the day and harness the fullest benefit from this opportunity to the advantage of the Indian economy.