India

A landmark ruling by India's Supreme Court underscores the need for patients to have access to generic medications at affordable prices, according to MSF's Jennifer Cohn.

National staff support every MSF project, says Kate Mort, an MSF-USA Field Human Resources Officer. 

MSF launched the Patent Opposition Database as part of the campaign to boost access to medicines in countries where patients can't afford the high drug prices some companies seek to preserve.  

In this blog post from BMJ Group Blogs, lawyer and India manager of MSF's Access Campaign Leena Menghaney discusses the two legal battles that are taking center stage in the struggle over India's medicines patent law.

Novartis AG goes to India's Supreme Court on Wednesday to seek patent protection for its blockbuster cancer drug Glivec in a case that could deliver far-reaching ramifications for multinational pharmaceutical companies operating in India....

Novartis's critics, including Médecins Sans Frontières [Doctors Without Borders], say that if the company prevails, it could set a legal precedent that allows pharmaceutical giants to patent a range of drugs in India that are now available from generic producers, including HIV medicines. That would demolish a thriving low-cost industry and lead to higher prices, not just in India, they say, but elsewhere in the developing world where India is a major exporter of drugs.

On July 10, 2012, India's Supreme Court will hear the challenge to the country's patent law by Novartis, a case with enormous ramifications for the production of low-cost generic medications.

A landmark patent ruling in India could possibly set a precedent that allows patients in developing countries far greater access to essential medicines.

MSF's appeal to Novartis to drop its case against India continues as the pharmaceutical company's day in court draws near.

Read Novartis's statements on its generic medicines court case, and learn why they're wrong.

Learn more about why Novartis is taking India to court over the production of affordable generic medicines.

Novartis is taking India to court to stop production of affordable generic medicines that millions of people depend on to stay alive.

A new free trade agreement between the EU and India could severely impact access to affordable medicine in developing countries.

Learn how a free trade agreement between the European Union and India could restrict access to affordable medicines for millions of people with HIV/AIDS and other diseases and conditions.

People living in tribal villages in central India are caught up in the conflict between Maoist rebels and government forces. Dr. Rebecca Cuthbert describes how MSF takes the clinics to them.

MSF's Dr. Marta González talks about the challenges of diagnosing and treating kala azar in India's Bihar State.

Kala azar, a disease transmitted by certain types of sand flies, is endemic in much of Bihar. It causes enlargement of the spleen and, if left untreated, is fatal for virtually all patients.

Novartis is lobbying India's Supreme Court to undo a key safeguard in Indian patent law, which would have a devastating impact on access to affordable medicines across the developing world.

Real stories of people living with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Today's feature from Swaziland: "I do get a lot of emotional support from my family, but financially we are struggling."

NEW DELHI/BRUSSELS, June 22, 2011–At the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS in early June, India announced that it will not accept data exclusivity, a provision harmful to access to affordable medicines, as part of a free trade agreement (FTA) currently being negotiated with the European Union (EU).

India should resist pressure from the EU to accept a free trade agreement that will have an exceedingly negative impact on access to affordable medicines

The crucial role India plays in supplying the developing world with affordable quality medicines is being threatened.

In 2005, India put in place a patent law—fortunately it’s a law that supports public health objectives, so the result has been that India's generic manufacturers have had some space to continue producing affordable and effective medicines.

Millions of people in developing countries rely on affordable generic medicines produced in countries including India to stay alive. But the European Commission is pushing aggressive policies that will severely restrict people’s access to these lifesaving medicines.

Despite the continuing tense situation, MSF counselors have restarted visiting patients in the hospitals in the capital, Srinagar, and are offering on-the-spot psychological assistance to victims of violence and their families.

Inside an MSF outpatient clinic for malnourished children in northeast India, Dr. Krishna Ashvalayan is trying fervently to convince a mother to keep her severely malnourished 12-month-old girl in MSF’s nutrition program. The girl’s mother, Sela, however, is adamant; she wants her daughter’s name taken off the clinic’s list of patients.

Violence and curfews have forced MSF to suspend its mental health care programs in the Kashmir Valley.

Following a sharp increase in malaria cases in Mumbai, MSF has launched a malaria intervention to help local health authorities fight the disease.

MSF is providing urgently needed medical and humanitarian assistance to people in the worst affected villages in and around Leh.

April 26, 2010, Brussels/New York – As the European Commission (EC) and India meet for closed-door negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) this week, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns this is the last chance to remove provisions that will block access to life-saving medicines for people living in the developing world.

Not a week seems to go by without the West -- governments, pharmaceutical giants and the business press -- crying foul over India's handling of intellectual property. As a doctor, speaking from a medical humanitarian perspective, the case for a defense of India is clear: competition between multiple manufacturers allows for lower prices and greater access to lifesaving medicines.

Closed-door negotiations between India and the EU are entering a crucial phase; at stake is access to affordable medicines for millions.

Geneva/New Delhi, March 12, 2010 – As the final round of closed-door negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) is about to start this month, people living with HIV/AIDS are protesting to ensure Indian negotiators do not give in to pressure to accept terms that will seriously hamper access to medicines for millions of people living in the developing world.

Flood water in the Indian states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is receding, yet millions are still left homeless. Concerns are growing about the needs for shelter, food, and protection against diseases such as malaria.

MSF has sent two teams to assess the needs of the affected population in the districts of Kurnool and Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh.

Indian authorities have rejected patent requests from United States pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences for two life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs, Tenofovir and Darunavir, as they were considered to be in infringement of the patent law.

Nearly two months after Cyclone Aila devastated East India and the coast of Bangladesh, the plight of survivors is no longer headline news. However, daily flooding is making their recovery almost impossible.

One month after cyclone Aila struck Bangladesh and the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, people continue to suffer from ongoing floods during high tide. Shelter, drinking water, food and sanitation are badly needed. People in remote areas have reportedly still not received any help.

Some of the world’s leading photojournalists worked alongside our medical teams throughout 2008, documenting our work and following the lives of our patients and their communities. At the same time, some of our own staff captured unforgettable moments that we are pleased to include in this Year in Pictures issue of Alert, which brings together some of the most moving and telling photographs of the crises to which we responded in 2008.

Many had to abandon their homes in the middle of the night, losing everything, including precious livestock, while others were stranded for several days before being rescued by the army.

Dr. Binod Kumar was one of the first MSF staff to provide medical assistance to flood survivors in Bihar. Here, he reports on the situation.

Two MSF teams have begun providing medical care to flood victims in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, where it has also started conducting the first emergency relief distributions in various locations and displaced camps, as well as necessary assessments in the districts of Araria, Supaul, Purnia, and Madhepura.

An emergency relief team from Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has reached the areas worst affected by the flooding in Bihar State, India. The team, including a logistician, a water-sanitation engineer, and a physician, are assessing the extent of the humanitarian needs in Araria and Purnea-Madhepura. The team has also brought supplies of non-food items for distribution to the affected population.

India's tiger economy is the envy of many — the eight-lane highways, shopping malls, the luxury cars and the growing affluence of the middle class are all evidence of the country’s growing economic clout. Yet, this success masks a very different reality for most of the country’s population. South Asia is one of the world’s malnutrition ‘hot spots,’ and in particular India carries the largest burden of illness in the region. One half of India's children under five are underweight. So what lies behind these grim figures, and what efforts are being made to address the crisis? From New Delhi, Leena Menghaney of MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines outlines some of the main issues defining the debate.

New Delhi/Geneva, December 20, 2006 — A legal challenge by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis against India's patent law could restrict access to affordable medicines in the developing world, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today. The organization is urging Novartis to immediately drop the case.

New Delhi/Geneva, September 26, 2006 — A challenge against India's patent law filed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis will be heard in the Chennai High Court in India today. The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that the case may have serious implications for future access to essential drugs worldwide.

New Delhi, May 10, 2006 – The medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is today expressing its support for Indian civil society groups in their battle against a patent application by Gilead Sciences for the key AIDS drug tenofovir (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, TDF). People living with HIV/AIDS in India opposed the patent application yesterday on the grounds that the drug consists of a previously known compound, and should not be considered an invention according to India's Patent Act.

Since October 2005, Hilary Bower has worked as project coordinator for MSF in the Karbi Anglong region of India's Assam state. MSF is bringing urgently needed assistance to local residents who have been forced to flee from their villages due to violence between members of two local tribes.

Temperatures are dropping and the first snowfalls have been recorded in mountain villages of the region affected by the earthquake. Therefore, the most urgent issue is still to provide shelter to thousands of homeless in remote villages before winter strikes.

MSF medical teams are operating in both the Pakistani- and Indian-administered areas of Kashmir to assist victims of last Saturday's earthquake. Almost 80 international aid workers are working alongside dozens of national staff to provide medical assistance, mental health counseling, and relief and medical supplies to some of the hardest-hit areas.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical teams are operating in both the Pakistani- and Indian-administered areas of Kashmir to assist victims of last Saturday's earthquake. Almost 80 international aid workers will be working alongside dozens of national staff to provide medical assistance, mental health counseling, and relief and medical supplies to some of the hardest-hit areas.

"Immediately after the earthquake our team in India-controlled Kashmir set off to try and reach the most severely affected regions," says Hans van de Weerd, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) country coordinator in New Delhi, India. Both the Indian and the Pakistani regions of Kashmir were affected by last Saturday's earthquake. MSF is running a psychosocial program in the Indian region of Kashmir.

March 23, 2005 - The Indian Parliament has passed a new law to become compliant with the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is deeply concerned that the new law will result in people in the developing world being cut off from the vital source of affordable generic versions of essential medicines produced in India.

When a massive earthquake struck the Indian state of Gujarat on January 26, 2001, MSF was ready to take action. An assessment team arrived on site the next day, and by February 5, MSF had flown in several medical teams and a total of 80 tons of relief supplies. The initial priority was first aid and surgical care for those injured.