In India, the patients’ rights advocates have recently asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decline any US proposal put forward to dilute the country’s Patent Protection and price control regulations.

1. Activists Urge Narendra Modi to Protect
Drug Patent Rules

2. Activists Urge Narendra Modi to Protect Drug
Patent Rules
In India, the patients' rights advocates have recently asked Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to decline any US proposal put forward to
dilute the country's Patent Protection and price control regulations.
The advocates argued by saying that such proposals may pose a serious
threat to India's ability to provide affordable medical treatments,
devices, and medicines to its people. Ahead of Modi's planned visit to
the United States, he received a letter on September 20, 2019, from
these public health groups, which also asked him to protect the Indian
government's right to impose price caps on medical equipment and
medicines. The letter shows the concern among the patients' rights
advocates and public health groups regarding India's discussions of a
possible trade agreement with the US, which may lead to changes to
India's price control mechanisms and drug control regulations on
medical devices and drugs.

3. The Patent Law in India allows the manufacturers to produce quite
inexpensive generic versions of several drugs, ranging from anti-viral
medications for HIV infections to anti-cancer medicines. The letter has
further highlighted that India’s health ministry, state governments, and
millions of its people are highly dependable on the affordable generic
medicines, vaccines, and devices, which are domestically produced, and
prevent and cure both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
The signatories to the letter include the Cancer Patients’ Aid
Association, the All India Drug Action Network, the Jan Swasthya
Abhiyan (People’s Health Movement), and various other non-
government organizations in the health sector. In 2017, the Modi
government had imposed price caps on hip implants and coronary
stents, which angered many sections of this industry that were
demanding differential prices as per the characteristics and features of
the medical devices.
The health groups also stated that various sections of the US industry
are urging India to replace such price caps with rules and regulations

4. that curb trade margins. The All India Drug Action Network said that the
attempt to protect trade margin rationalization is a backdoor attempt
to neutralize the price caps, which shall prove to be the most effective
way of making critical medical devices and treatments accessible to the
patients in the country.
In response to a US move to withdraw quite a few trade benefits to
Indian exporters earlier this year, the Indian government had
safeguarded its right to protect the public interest. The government
stated that India would always uphold its national interests, like the US
and other nations, and they aspire for better standards of living by
keeping in mind the development imperatives and concerns of people.
The public health groups have urged Narendra Modi to uphold this
stand on a serious note.
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