Novartis sues Indian Government over health safeguards in Indian Patent Law
Swiss MultinationalPharmacuetical company Novartis is continuing its tradition of suing developing country governments for their pro-health patent laws. In 1999, Novartis along with other pharmaceutical companies sued the South African government over pro-health amendments in their patent law. Since 2006, they have been suing the Indian government over the health safeguards (Section 3d) in its patentlaw. India supplies generic medicines across the developing world and health and PLHIV groups in India have been using Section 3(d) of the Indian law toensure that key medicines stay off-patent. Novartis did not get a patent inIndia on a cancer medicine and wants this law (Section 3d) weakened. BUT THIS WILL IMPACT ALL OTHER GENERIC MEDICINES AS WELL.