One of the reasons responsible for the high cost of new chemotherapy drugs is the intellectual property protection that a new drug enjoys. At the same time, without such patent protection, it is unlikely that pharmaceutical companies will be in a position to invest the huge amounts required to develop new cancer treatments: Dr. Swaminathan
A new book titled ‘Impact of Patents on Chemotherapy Drugs in Cancer Treatment‘ has brought to the fore the concern related to the affordability of chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of cancer. The book, in two volumes, has been compiled and edited by Dr KV Swaminathan, former Controller General, Patents, Designs and Trademarks and former Chairman, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Center (RGCI). Apart from an overview of cancer and intellectual property rights (IPR) issues, the book outlines major pharma companies and chemotherapy drugs, patent status abroad and in India, and areas of interest from India’s perspective.
“The book discusses an important yet not very widely understood complex area. Research is expensive. The cost of which is to be recovered in the form of the price of medicine. But this takes it beyond the vast majority of our people. This has given rise to a lot of acrimony and controversy. Dr. Swaminathan has beautifully combined his knowledge of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and cancer treatment methods,” said Rakesh Chopra, President, RGCIRC while releasing the book.
This book is highly relevant to the medical fraternity. Cancer has been a dreaded word and chemotherapy with its side effects is adding to the fear. With the introduction of new drugs and innovations, the level of toxicity of chemotherapy has come down and people can withstand the adverse effects very well. New developments like targeted therapy, immunotherapy and precision therapy have come a long way for the betterment of the patients. However, the development of new drugs, for which pharma companies invest billions of dollars, makes affordability an important issue, said DS Negi, CEO, RGCIRC.
On this occasion, Dr. Swaminathan said, “Rapid advances in the field of chemotherapy have made this mode of treatment more important. The survival rate after detection has improved significantly. However, a common cancer There are still problems regarding the affordability of new drugs to the patient. One of the reasons responsible for the high cost of new chemotherapy drugs is the intellectual property protection that a new drug enjoys. Also without such patent protection, It is unlikely that pharmaceutical companies will be in a position to invest the very large amounts needed to develop new cancer treatments. Many countries in the world as well as many multilateral organizations have examined this problem and the need for appropriate access and affordability To be sure there has been some sense in terms of preventing the use of patents.
Dr Vineet Talwar, Director, Medical Oncology, RGCIRC, who introduced the book, said that the book makes a case for making chemotherapy drugs affordable in India. Patents make drugs prohibitively expensive and this has huge implications for a price-sensitive market like India, where health insurance coverage is only 10 per cent. Either one ends up spending a huge amount or misses out on the benefits of the new drugs. Dr. Talwar said that in a developing country like India, there is a need to improve the intellectual property rights so that medicines can be made affordable for a large number of patients.
News Source – indiatimes