Health groups join patent war over spinal muscular atrophy drug | India News – Times of India

Several public health groups are opposing Roche and seeking a permanent injunction against Natco Pharma to prevent the introduction of a generic version of Risdiplam, a drug for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), citing patent infringement. They argued that Roche’s legal action to block the supply of generic drugs would jeopardize the public interest by limiting access to affordable medicines.
Roche’s patent for Risdiplam, which is valid till May 2035, allows them to charge around Rs 72 lakh per year, while the production costs suggest the drug could be made available for as little as Rs 3,024 per year. Patient representatives and treatment activists urged the government, courts and lawmakers to take urgent action to tackle the abuse of patent monopolies in the field of rare diseases by boosting the production of generic medicines.
“Roche’s action against Natco is not just about a single drug or one company’s right to profit, it is about our right to life. By blocking access to a generic version, Roche effectively decides which of us can hope and who cannot. said Saifullah Khalidi, a 30-year-old who lives near SMA.
“How can Roche demand such a high price based on the high R&D costs if it has not submitted the R&D costs?” asked Leena Menghaney, an attorney who works on the issue of access to medicine.
National Policy on Rare Diseases (NRDP) 2017 included, among other recommendations, (a) measures, legislative or otherwise, to encourage local production of medicines for rare diseases and (b) taking legal and other measures to control the prices of medicines for rare diseases to ensure its affordability and the sustainability of the healthcare system.