Local firms got voluntary license for more drugs during pandemic
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A voluntary licence (VL) is an authorisation given by the patent holder to a generic company to produce a patented drug while a compulsory licence (CL) is granted by the Controller General of Patents without the consent of the patentee.
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Since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year, Indian drug manufacturers have launched a record number of patented drugs despite the country not issuing any compulsory licence, thanks to the voluntary licensing system.
Besides Covid-19 vaccines Covishield and Sputnik V, five patented drugs have been launched in the country through voluntary licence deals with original patent holders for their manufacturing and marketing. These include remdesivir by Gilead Sciences, baricitinib by Eli Lilly, tocilizumab by Roche, molnupiravir by Merck, and a Covid-19 tablet by Ennaid Therapeutics.
consensus among member states. The European Commission
said it would begin discussions on waivers but Germany, home to BioNTech, the firm that created the vaccine being marketed by Pfizer, said it
opposed a waiver because “the protection of the intellectual property is a source of innovation and must remain so”.
However, the Indian government has taken a different line domestically: At a hearing in India’s Supreme Court this month, the court asked the government whether it intended to issue any compulsory licenses to companies to manufacture drugs like remdesivir that are being used for Covid-19 treatment.
The government reportedly
Read more about Patent waver for Covid vaccine without tech transfer won t speed up supply on Business Standard. Intellectual property rights (IPR) on drugs and vaccine formulae give creators an exclusive right over inventions for a certain period of time, and prevent pharmaceutical companies from making it.
Even after a belated scramble for more doses, India's vaccine programme faces a desperate supply shortage. Fearful in the wake of a rampaging second wave, everyone now wants it, but there are just not enough doses to go around - Issue Date: May 24, 2021