, Columnist
A $300 Billion Reason to Keep Drugs Cheap in India
Domestic pharmaceutical companies rely on expensive branded generics.
This article is for subscribers only.
Global pharmaceutical companies have bemoaned for years India's capricious policies on prices and patents. Now the government needs billions of dollars for its "Make in India" program, why can't the industry get a fairer deal?
When it comes to intellectual property, it's now understood -- and grudgingly accepted -- that India's use of compulsory licensing won't go away. Ever since New Delhi used this tool to force Bayer AG to allow a low-priced local copy of its expensive cancer treatment, there's been popular support for the idea of banning profiteering at the expense of lives.