Bayer Speaks Out Against Indian Patent Laws
Drug company heavyweight Bayer is speaking up against Indian patent laws. Bayer CEO Marijn Dekkers made a public relations gaffe when he issued a statement saying in part that his company’s drugs were created for “western patients who can afford it.”Bayer takes issue with the Indian patent law that allows for Indian pharmaceutical companies to produce copies of a drug that either isn’t available in the country or that the government deems too expensive locally to be bought at a reasonable price.
In this case, Nexavar (also known as Sorafenib) has been replicated by the Indian pharmaceutical firm Natco Pharma Ltd. and is selling at a 97% reduction in price. That reduction takes the yearly cost of the Bayer drug, currently at $96,000, to less than $3,000 for the Indian copy. Nexavar is used to treat kidney, liver and thyroid cancers.
Dekkers has called that Indian patent law “theft.” While some share the opinion that drug companies must charge high prices in order to continue with research and development efforts, there is rising opposition in numerous awareness campaigns for public health in third world countries. Dr. Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director for Médecins Sans Frontières Access Campaign, said, “Pharmaceutical companies are singularly focused on profit and so aggressively push for patents and high drug prices. Diseases that don’t promise a profit are neglected, and patients who can’t afford to pay are cut out of the picture.”
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