India as the ultimate enemy of Big Pharma

It looks like India is the only opposition to Big Pharma. The state has its own view on IP and licensing issues (I have written about the situation here and here). And India just continues to be aggressive with IP questions – no doubts about it:

Medicines in India may not be sold under brand names in the near future. In its biggest move to push generic drugs and do away with brand names, the Union health ministry has ordered states to stop issuing licence for the manufacture or sale of drugs on the basis of their brand name.

All pharmaceutical firms applying for licence to market or manufacture fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs will have to submit their generic name and not as brands with immediate effect. The move will substantially reduce medicines' prices.

For example, Crocin will cease to exist, and it will be marketed and sold as paracetamol.

Drug controller general of India Dr G N Singh said, "We want to gradually move towards a future where we will not issue any brand or trade names. We are going all out to push generic drugs solely for the benefit of the public."

He added, "We have sent the order to all state health secretaries asking them to instruct their drug licencing issuing authority to issue licences only on generic names and not on branded or trade names, which is the usual practice now. A branded drug can be 10 times more expensive than a generic variant."

The parliamentary standing committee in its recent scathing report had also expressed strong objection to the practice of issuing licences on brand names.

I think that Big Pharma has to act in some way – the situation is very serious! Just think if other countries will apply the same policy? Big Pharma: do something, it is your turn!