| Novartis India announced that it has been granted exclusive marketing rights (EMR) by the Controller General of Patents and trademarks of India for its blockbuster anti-cancer drug Glivec (imatinib mesylate). Novartis is the first pharmaceutical company in India to be granted an EMR.
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| The drug makers that are likely to be hit directly by the development include Natco, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Ranbaxy, Cipla, Intas and Camlin Pharma who have already launched a form of this drug. Novartis will enjoy five years of exclusive marketing right for the drug from the date of approval.
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| Ranjit Shahani, vice-chairman and managing director Novartis India said, “ It is a positive signal to the international community indicating India’s progress towards meeting all its obligations under TRIPS. This would also prompt the launch of more and more drugs by the multinational companies from their parent’s portfolio.”
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| “Molecular targeted drugs like Glivec will become the model for treating cancer and other life threatening and crippling diseases,” Shahani added.
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| Glivec, according to the company, is one of the first oncology drugs that validate rational drug design based on an understanding of how some cancer cells work. Novartis AG had filed the application for EMR in India in Noveber2002 and the product patent was filed in February 2002.
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| While the exact size on the market could not be ascertained, Glivesc has a patient pool of around 15000 patients in India and according to the company there is an incidence around 5000 patients per annum. The dosage cost per month is around Rs 1.10 lakh per annum. |
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