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Is Indian Government lying to common people in India or India is in a process of self-denial- new patent regime will not affect the prices of drugs produced in India?
The new patent regime is geared to include product patent. Indian Pharmaceutical companies never followed the product patents before. They could copy a drug from a Western Drug company without paying any royalties and manufacture the drug in their own process. Now they cannot. That means in the long run the drugs and medication will cost much higher in India. But the Government of India is portraying a different picture. Is India in a process of self-denial?
According to media sources, the new patent regime will not affect the prices of drugs produced in India as 95 per cent of them do not come under the purview of patent, the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of Parliament) was informed Friday.
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Ram Vilas Paswan said while considering the amendments to the Indian Patents Act 1970 elaborate consultations were carried out with various concerned organisations and industry associations.
The concerns and apprehensions expressed by these organisations have been by and large given consideration and adequate safeguards to ensure continued availability of medicines at reasonable prices have been incorporated in the law while finalising the amendments, he said.
A working group has been set up under the chairmanship of Y K Alagh to review the effectiveness of Stage-I and II of the New Pricing Scheme for urea units and to formulate a policy for urea units for Stage III commencing on April 1 next year, the Minister said in reply to a question.
Paswan said the government has also constituted an expert group under the chairmanship of Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen to examine the pricing of phospatic fertilisers and related issues.
Since all states have not implemented VAT together, uniformity in drug prices could not be achieved. However, those state which have implemented VAT have an uniform rate of four per cent, he said in reply to a query.
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