Abstract:
The patent application for Viread, an AIDS drug, was opposed HIV/AIDS patient groups with the main concern, the drug, if patented, would not be affordable to most AIDS patients. Humanitarian organizations like Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have supported the opposition to the patent.
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Introduction
In May 2006, HIV/AIDS patient groups protested against a patent application filed by the US-based Gilead Sciences Inc. (Gilead) for its AIDS drug Viread (Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate or TDF) in India.
The Indian Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (INP+) and the Delhi Network of Positive People filed a pre-grant opposition, which sought to oppose the patent, at the patent application office in New Delhi. The patent application for Viread was opposed on the grounds that it involved only an addition of a salt (Fumaric Acid) to an existing compound (Tenofovir Disoproxil) and was not a new invention.
TDF was an important drug for people starting AIDS treatment for the first time. It was also important for patients who had developed resistance to other drugs used in the first-line treatment of AIDS...
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Key words:
Aids Drugs, Patent, Gilead Sciences Inc, Gilead, Viread, pre-grant opposition, patent application, UNAIDS, Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF, healthcare, manufacturing, marketing, domestic manufacturers, patented drugs, MSF
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