Indian Drug Makers, Activists Say MNCs Hide Facts In Patents
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
Major Indian drug makers are joining with public-health activists to accuse multinational drug companies of being less than forthcoming in their patent applications. The Indian groups say the MNCs are attempting to hide the identity of the molecules they use in their formulas. A patent expert said some companies attempt to call their creations "a novel compound" or "new pharmaceutical substance" to avoid identification of the chemicals or molecules involved. He said there are rules against accepting such applications, but said the rules are broken more often than they are followed. (Click here for more