Indian Pharmaceuticals Become Suit Filers Rather Than Those Being Sued (India)

Executive Summary

Now that Indian generic pharmaceutical companies are developing and marketing their own drugs, their patent role is beginning to switch from being sued to filing the suits. About 40 percent of the 8,000 drug patents filed in India between 1995 and 2004 were by Indian drug makers. A university professor says many of those patent applications are considered frivolous, claiming new laboratory techniques even though they do not qualify for patents. But he noted the pipeline of discovery drugs is drying up while companies seek another patent for a drug after changing its makeup a bit. (Click here for more