A sham transaction by a drug firm

Pharma giant Allergan transfers contested patent to the Mohawk tribe to stop rivals from challenging it

Reinforcing the rights of nations

Drugs major Eli Lilly has lost its case against Canada. It affirms the right of a country to set its own patent laws

Acta is trade terrorism

India’s generic medicines export faces a huge threat from the anti-counterfeiting law which creates barriers to global trade

Why do we need patents?

There is no empirical evidence that patents serve to increase innovation and productivity

Prometheus bound

The denial of a patent on a medical test that correlates drug dosages with treatment could mean the end of human gene patents

Brickbats for compulsory licences

US criticises India and BRIC group for strengthening provisions on life-saving medicines

How to save $25 billion and more on drug costs

Patent settlements bring cheaper generics to market early and cut healthcare spending

Strong medicine for weak drug patents

Revocation of Pfizer, Roche patents for lacking inventive step signals healthy trend

The fine line for judges

Judges have recused themselves in a number of cases but there are no clear guidelines on what constitutes conflict of interest  

Curing the ills of pharma FDI

Foreign investment in existing pharma companies will be allowed with riders

Pushing limits of drug access

Relying solely on gross national income to determine priorities in global health is not working any more

NCD battle starts now

The UN agreement on non-communicable diseases will get snagged on the issue of intellectual property rights for drugs

Maths of Gilead's hepatitis C drug

Why US firm's super expensive drug sofosbuvir costs so much and how it can be made at a tenth of current price

Obama takes first dip

The US becomes the first to join a global patents pool to make AIDS drugs cheaper but health workers are sceptical of the initiative

Yale guide to fighting drug patent barriers

How human rights can be used to challenge oppressive intellectual property laws

Evergreen Novartis

The Swiss pharma giant’s challenge to India’s patent law, now in the Supreme Court, may help define drug efficacy

Cipla's audacious move

Why generics maker Cipla has asked government to revoke Novartis patent on respiratory ailment drug

The natco-pfizer test

Natco’s demand for a voluntary licence from Pfizer will establish how well the compulsory licence process works in India

Finally, a US revolt on drug price

American legislators are trying to enact new laws to force the pharma industry to explain pricing of specialty drugs

Gunning for green tech

US continues to target India over its intellectual property regime, especially in pharma, green tech sectors

Choking access to drugs

Drug prices are likely to increase as rich countries and their pharma companies squeeze Indian generics out of the market. How can India’s …

Patent hypocrisies of US

American business lobbies are spreading falsehoods about India’s patent policies—and glossing over their double standards

Any cheers for Doha pact?

The Doha Declaration on protecting public health is a decade old, but developing countries have not been able to make use of TRIPs flexibilities

Drug affordability test

Natco’s bid for a compulsory licence to manufacture a Bayer anti-cancer drug is a test of the law’s ‘reasonable price’ …

Big pharma’s dirty tricks

Drug giants from GSK, Abbott and Pfizer to Bayer have been fined for serious malpractices. They should be under close watch in India