Reports: Indian Supreme Court strikes down leukemia drug patent
Court ruling on Novartis' Gleevec means continued availability
of generic in poor countries   The New York Times reported that
the Indian Supreme Court ruled drug companies there could keep
making generic versions of Swiss drug maker Novartis' leukemia
medication Gleevec (imatinib). According to the Times, generic
versions of Gleevec in India cost about $2,500 per year,
compared with $70,000 per year for the branded version.  Still,
the Times noted, the ruling is part of a larger debate between
large drug companies and developing countries. Drug companies
say they need to charge high prices to recoup the cost of
innovation, while developing countries say they need to ensure
access to medications by making cheaper generics easier to get.
The Indian Supreme Court ruled that the patent for Gleevec was
invalid because the drug was not a true invention; under Indian
law, only medicines discovered after 1995 can be patented, and
the court reasoned th