Big Pharma presses US to quash cheap drug production in India

Reuters / Srdjan ZivulovicPowerful global pharmaceutical firms are leaning on the United States government to discourage India from allowing the production and sale of affordable generic drugs still on-patent, according to inside sources close to the matter.According to two senior officials, an Indian government committee is reviewing patented drugs from foreign companies for opportunities to spin certain medications into low-cost, generic versions. The drugs up for analysis are used to treat cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, and HIV, the sources told Reuters. They would not expand on the review process or on the timeline for any decisions on granting what are known as compulsory licenses.Like other emerging economies such as China and South Africa, a rapidly growing population in India poses challenges to its government in keeping healthcare costs down while increasing access to life-saving drugs.And wherever there are “emerging markets” - coupled with declining sales of patented drugs in Western markets - there are multinational conglomerates seeking profit inroads. Western-based pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer Inc., Novartis AG, and others are reportedly frustrated by India’s efforts to increase access to these vital drug treatments in a country where only 15 percent of the nation’s 1.2 billion people have health insurance.Thus, led by the industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), these companies are pressing for a...
Source: PharmaGossip - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs