Letters: Drugs for all

Apropos the report "Novartis loses patent battle in SC" (April 2), the recent judgment against Novartis might result in pharmaceutical companies pulling out of India and cutting down investment in research and development for new drugs. Moreover, patented and new "wonder" drugs that would be available to patients across the world might not be accessed by patients in India. We should understand the reality that lives exist in both the balances. Glivec - which cost Rs 1.2 lakh per month against a generic drug of Rs 10,000 - was being made available by Novartis free of cost through its patient assistance programme, as even generic drugs might not be affordable for most Indian patients. In this light, it is important that the government revises the Indian Drug Pricing Act and fixes uniform prices for all drugs - patented or otherwise. The patient should be the winner, and not the patent.

S Narendra Bangalore

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