i’m not sure how much i’ve talked about it on previous blog incarnations, but part of my plans for a medical career have always included an interest Médecins Sans Frontières. an MSF petition was recently brought to my attention by a fellow student and – while i normally don’t feel petitions have much leverage – i have decided to start a new category devoted to topics of this sort.

a pharmaceutical company is legally challenging the Indian government on their patent law. if Novartis is successful, over 80% of the medicines used to treat AIDS in over 30 countries would essentially dry up.

Novartis is challenging a specific provision in India’s patent law that restricts patenting of medicines to innovations only. If the provision were overturned, patents would be granted far more widely in India, heavily restricting the production of affordable medicines that has become crucial to the treatment of diseases across the developing world.

If Novartis is successful in its challenge against the Indian government and its patent law, more medicines are likely to be patented in India, making it very difficult for generic producers to make affordable versions of them. This could affect millions of people around the world who depend on medicines produced in India.

while millions of signatures are still needed, this petition has the potential to pressure Novartis to drop their lawsuit.

please take a few minutes to learn more and sign the petition.

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