Increasing Indian Influence...

and that's not neccesarily a bad thing...

for one, I'll bet we won't have the same type of quality issues we see with other countries...perhaps the Chinese need to take a look at their neighbor for some quality lessons...

Indian law on generic drugs is upheld

NEW DELHI: Indian pharmaceutical companies can continue making low-cost generic drugs, ensuring their flow to patients in the developing world, after a seminal challenge to patent laws in India was rejected Monday.

Aid organizations declared the ruling a victory for the "rights of patients over patents," but the Swiss drug company Novartis, which filed the case, warned that the judgment would "discourage investments in innovation" and would undermine efforts by drug companies to improve their products.

Despite disagreeing, Novartis said that it was unlikely to appeal.

The test case mounted by Novartis last year asked the High Court in Madras to clarify a significant element of India's 2005 patent legislation, arguing that it breached the Indian Constitution. At issue was the question of granting patents for incremental developments.

The full text of the judgment was not immediately released, but Reuters reported that the judge said the court had no jurisdiction over whether Indian patent laws complied with the World Trade Organization guidelines on intellectual property law.

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