India produces affordable medicine for citizens. Guess the ending!

BitVyper · 02-11-2014, 03:49 PM

So here's something that's been going on for years that I had no idea about: Indian law prevents shady patent extensions (called "evergreening") and makes allowances for copycat medicine (re: What most of the world uses anyway) that cost drastically less so that their citizens can actually afford medicine. This infringes on the ability of pharmaceutical companies to hold the entire world hostage, so they lobby against it in the US (which in turn starts shit on a global political scale) and sue Indian companies, and generally put an inhuman amount of pressure on the Indian government to sell out their citizens. India has, at least as of April last year (the most recent article on the legal proceedings I can find) consistently not caved to this pressure, which has earned them trade blacklistings and all kinds of other trouble with the Obama administration. Essentially, the western pharmaceutical company side of the argument is that being unable to extort Indian citizens is depriving them of profit they depend on.

So here are some articles on the matter in no particular order. I'd appreciate links to more information on the situation:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3196458.html

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...=press-release

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/bu...anted=all&_r=0

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/ameri...-the-3rd-world

I think what the whole thing highlights most for me, is just how cheap pharmaceuticals could be. Indian companies are selling life saving drugs for something like 97% cheaper. Like that's a fucking lot of money. I can understand some markup because of research, but come on.

Kyanbu The Legend · 02-11-2014, 03:54 PM

This is the greatest bit of news I've heard in a while. Don't given in India! You are our last hope!

Magus · 02-12-2014, 11:25 AM

I think they get a 7 year period of exclusivity with their patents before generics can be produced, it's really way too long.

02-11-2014, 03:49 PM	#1
BitVyper History's Strongest Dilettante Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Arcadia Posts: 6,662	India produces affordable medicine for citizens. Guess the ending! So here's something that's been going on for years that I had no idea about: Indian law prevents shady patent extensions (called "evergreening") and makes allowances for copycat medicine (re: What most of the world uses anyway) that cost drastically less so that their citizens can actually afford medicine. This infringes on the ability of pharmaceutical companies to hold the entire world hostage, so they lobby against it in the US (which in turn starts shit on a global political scale) and sue Indian companies, and generally put an inhuman amount of pressure on the Indian government to sell out their citizens. India has, at least as of April last year (the most recent article on the legal proceedings I can find) consistently not caved to this pressure, which has earned them trade blacklistings and all kinds of other trouble with the Obama administration. Essentially, the western pharmaceutical company side of the argument is that being unable to extort Indian citizens is depriving them of profit they depend on. So here are some articles on the matter in no particular order. I'd appreciate links to more information on the situation: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3196458.html http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...=press-release http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/bu...anted=all&_r=0 http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/ameri...-the-3rd-world I think what the whole thing highlights most for me, is just how cheap pharmaceuticals could be. Indian companies are selling life saving drugs for something like 97% cheaper. Like that's a fucking lot of money. I can understand some markup because of research, but come on. __________________ "There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea is asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace; we've got work to do!" Awesome art be here.

02-11-2014, 03:54 PM	#2
Kyanbu The Legend Local Rookie Indie Dev Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,497	This is the greatest bit of news I've heard in a while. Don't given in India! You are our last hope! __________________

02-12-2014, 11:25 AM	#3
Magus Archer and Armstrong vs. the World Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 7,164	I think they get a 7 year period of exclusivity with their patents before generics can be produced, it's really way too long.