Novartis loses key decision in India patent case
Afp, Chennai
Swiss drug firm Novartis AG lost a key patent challenge case on Monday at a court in India's southern city of Chennai for its anti-cancer medicine Glivec, a court official said. Novartis filed a case for Glivec last year to challenge an Indian law that bans patents for modifications to old medicines, but only for drugs developed after 1995. The Chennai high court dismissed a contention by Novartis that India's patent law passed in 2005 was inconsistent with World Trade Organisation rules on intellectual property rights saying it was not in a position to rule on the link. However the court had reserved orders on the entire petition that challenges the India Patents Act, Press Trust of India said. "We disagree with this ruling, however we likely will not appeal to the Supreme Court. We await the full decision to better understand the court's position," Ranjit Shahani, vice chairman and managing director of Novartis India said in a statement on the company's website.
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