"But the ruling’s effect will be felt well beyond the limited number of
patients in India who need Gleevec, because it will help maintain
India’s role as the world’s most important provider of inexpensive
medicines, which is critical in the global fight against HIV/AIDS and
other diseases. Gleevec can cost as much as $70,000 per year, while
Indian generic versions cost about $2,500 year.
'The judgment in the Novartis case is a victory for patients both in
India and around the world,' Dr. Yusuf K. Hamied, chairman of Cipla, an
Indian generic drug giant, wrote in an e-mail. “India, being the
pharmacy capital of the world, can continue to produce affordable,
high-quality medicines without the threat of patents for minor
modifications of known medicines.”
In a televised interview, Ranjit Shahani, vice chairman of Novartis’s
Indian subsidiary, said that India would suffer as a result of the
ruling because companies like Novartis would invest less money in
research there. 'We will continue with our investments in India, even
though cautiously,' he said. 'We hope that the ecosystem for
intellectual property in the country improves.'"
Corporations by the rules that set them up care only for profit. If their decisions kill many people, it is no concern to the corporation. But corporations are simply constructs created by laws. These can be changed. Rules can be added to say that human welfare must account for some part of corporate decision making, over profit. It can be done.
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