The Hindu Business Line : Cipla opposes patent application on bird-flu drug

The contention

Pre-grant application "filed on grounds of known prior-art, invalid claim and lack of novelty".
Earlier pre-grant opposition filed by Meditab Specialities

Mumbai , May 1

Cipla has opposed the patent application on Oseltamivir, a drug that became popular at the peak of the bird-flu epidemic. The pre-grant opposition was filed at the Patent Office in New Delhi earlier this month.

Oseltamivir was developed by Gilead Sciences and is sold globally by Roche under the Tamiflu brand name. It is much sought after by Governments across the world as they stockpile the drug in the event of bird-flu jumping species from birds to humans.

Cipla's Joint Managing Director, Mr Amar Lulla, told Business Line that the pre-grant application had been "filed on the grounds of known prior-art, invalid claim, lack of novelty and inventive step".

Prior-art is when knowledge on the drug already exists before the cut-off date — of 1995, in this case — and, hence, a patent cannot be claimed, explained an expert on Intellectual Property (IP). There is already another pre-grant opposition on Oseltamivir, filed by Meditab Specialities. A pre-grant opposition allows people to contest a patent application filed by a company at the Patent Office.

On hearing the patent-holder and the opposition, the Patent Office eventually grants or rejects the drug firm's application for a patent.

The Indian Patent Office had rejected Novartis' claim for a patent on imatinib mesylate, its cancer drug sold under the brand name Gleevec.

More Stories on : Pharmaceuticals | IPR | Poultry | Corporate Disputes | Cipla Ltd

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Wheat procurement to hit 10-year low

Pesticide content: CFTRI clears Australian wheat

Dabhol plant restarts operations

Cathay Pacific bullish on prospects in India

Carbon credit prices crash in Europe

Jute Corpn likely to show robust growth

IOC-OIL combine earmarks $3 b for acquiring oil equity

Cipla opposes patent application on bird-flu drug

Insurers issued show-cause on service tax

EU is new growth driver for textile exports

Reliance Comm posts Rs 440-cr net profit

DLF, Unitech, ICT in race for Noida mega land auction

Infosys picks 15 out of every 1,000 job seekers

PSI Data eyes niche space in 3 verticals

HDFC hikes home loan rates