Venus Remedies wins legal battle against French firm for paracetamol patent

Drug firm Venus Remedies on Thursday said it has won a 10-year-long patent battle against French firm SCR Pharmatop with regards to production of the intravenous paracetamol solution in the country.

The Indian drug firm had initiated the legal battle in order to remove any patent hurdle in manufacturing of intravenous paracetamol solution in the country.

As intravenous paracetamol plays a critical role in managing inflammation and fever, hence the revocation of this patent is an encouraging development for the healthcare sector in the country reeling under the current pandemic, Venus Remedies stated in a statement.

In a decision dated June 4, the Indian Patent Office decided in favour of the company and upheld its decision for revocation of the Indian patent on the grounds that the process lacked any inventive step that made it superior to other existing solutions, it added.

"Our endeavour here was to make sure that critical drugs such as intravenous paracetamol is available in our country to be manufactured generically and accessible at economical prices for the general public, particularly during these difficult times" Venus Remedies President (Global Critical Care) Saransh Chaudhary said.

Venus Remedies had first opposed the patent way back in 2011. The patent was revoked in 2018. However, SCR Pharmatop later moved the Delhi High Court and the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB).

IPAB directed the patent office to again hear the matter. After hearing and written submissions from both the parties, the Indian Patent Office gave its final decision on June 4 maintaining the revocation order dated December 24, 2018.

Baddi (Himachal Pradesh)-based Venus Remedies is among the leading injectable manufacturers in the world with presence in over 70 countries.