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Indonesian Court Rules Against Pharma Patent Evergreening
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In Short: An Indonesian court has ruled against a practice known as 'patent evergreening,' a tactic used by pharmaceutical companies to extend the patent life of existing medications by filing minor modifications.
An Indonesian court has ruled against a practice known as 'patent evergreening,' a tactic used by pharmaceutical companies to extend the patent life of existing medications by filing minor modifications.
The Constitutional Court found that a two-year-old amendment to a law, which had removed a prohibition on evergreening, was unconstitutional. The court decided that the original restriction was necessary to balance the rights of patent holders with the broader public interest, especially concerning public health.
Patient advocates say the ruling sends a critical message to other countries to challenge similar practices. The case was brought by several patients and advocacy groups.
This ruling is part of an ongoing global debate over how to balance the need for innovation with the availability of affordable medications.
What's still developing
- Test your knowledge with our new weekday mini crossword In the latest battle over access to medicines, an Indonesian court recently struck down a provision in a law that allowed so-called patent evergreening, a tactic used by drugmakers to file additional patents containing minor tweaks to existing medicines and, ultimately, forestall competition.
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