Export Opportunities For Indian Pharma Industry Discussed

India must give market access to multinational firms which want patent protection if it expects to exploit opportunities in the export market, Anil Reddy, chairman of India's Dr Reddy Laboratories, told a recent seminar in New Delhi organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. And industry officials aired the view that Indian drugmakers could increase sales in the USA dramatically if New Delhi honored a global commitment on patents.

Mr Reddy said Indian companies could capture at least 10% of the prospective $30 billion US market because of their strength in making bulk generic products. In support of his argument, he told delegates that by the year 2000, pharmaceutical patents covering annual US sales of about $30 billion will expire, providing fresh opportunities for Indian firms.

Controversy About Pending Bill Sharing the same platform, Mr R K Sinha, Secretary for Industrial Development in the Ministry of Industry, announced that the new government at the federal level has drafted a new patent amendment bill, expected to be introduced in September in the lower house of parliament. An official spokesman, however, said there was no such bill in hand. The government will consult all parties of the United Front and supporting parties before introducing or drafting any such bill, he added. Mr Sinha went on to note that there had been a spate of applications for exclusive marketing rights, a procedure initiated by the World Trade Organization, which were being put in a "mailbox" for approval after the bill was enacted.