Influential, deep-pocketed American drug manufacturers with powerful lobbies in Washington, DC are pushing the US government to raise the pressure on New Delhi to modify policies on intellectual property rights in pharmaceuticals. The issue has been wrinkling up Indo-US bilateral commercial ties since 2012 and was a topic of discussion both when President Barack Obama visited Delhi in January and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington last year. The main bone of contention is a section of the Indian Patents Act of 1970 that sets a higher and narrower standard of patentability than is prevalent in developed markets like the US and the European Union. Indian law bars patents for inventions involving new forms of a known substance unless they differ significantly in properties.
US-India War over Pharmaceuticals Heats Up
US-India War over Pharmaceuticals Heats Up
US-India War over Pharmaceuticals Heats Up
Influential, deep-pocketed American drug manufacturers with powerful lobbies in Washington, DC are pushing the US government to raise the pressure on New Delhi to modify policies on intellectual property rights in pharmaceuticals. The issue has been wrinkling up Indo-US bilateral commercial ties since 2012 and was a topic of discussion both when President Barack Obama visited Delhi in January and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington last year. The main bone of contention is a section of the Indian Patents Act of 1970 that sets a higher and narrower standard of patentability than is prevalent in developed markets like the US and the European Union. Indian law bars patents for inventions involving new forms of a known substance unless they differ significantly in properties.