Mncs Seek Protection Against Drug Piracy

These companies are planning to form an informal forum to lobby with the government for stringent laws against blatant duplication of formulations and false labelling whereby the copied drugs are passed off as those of the foreign company.

The India head of a leading multinational engaged in manufacturing specialty drugs told Business Standard that he had been talking to other multinational drug companies operating in India on the need for government intervention in the interests of public safety. The state level Food and Drugs Administration (FDAs) should be asked to take cognisance of the complaints and act against Indian companies which pass off their poorly produced drugs under multinational labels, he said.

 

The head who did not want to be named or his company identified said he had detected four cases of duplication of lifesaving cardio vascular drugs. These were sold in small towns with the connivance of nursing homes and specialists at a fraction of the original price. Most of the high value specialty formulations were outside price control as their consumption was limited and manufacturing cost high.

It would be impossible for small companies, with their limited manufacturing and testing resources to produce exact duplicates which had the same medicinal value as the original. Therefore, what it amounted to was playing with public health.

The group would prepare a detailed document showing the type of drugs copied and what was their chemical compound.

This would be submitted to the FDAs and the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers for necessary action. What we are demanding is not patent protection, but only appealing for the government to act in the interest of public safety, the executive said. Multinational drug giants like Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Hoechst and others takevirtual="/incs/bottom.inc"-->