India's Supreme Court to Hear Novartis Patent Case

The case is the final act in a legal battle over the patentability of the salt form of the anti-cancer drug imatinib and section 3(d) of the Indian patent law that stretches back over five years.

The hearing of Novartis vs Union of India case in Supreme Court regarding interpretation on Section-3(d) of the Indian patent law will be held on November 29, 2011.

If Novartis succeeds, India may end up granting far more patents than required under international trade rules or envisioned by India’s lawmakers, with huge ramifications on generic production and the availability of affordable medicines for people across the developing world, according to International humanitarian medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

The case is the final act in a legal battle over the patentability of the salt form of the anti-cancer drug imatinib and section 3(d) of the Indian patent law that stretches back over five years. In 2006, the Indian patents office ruled that Novarti