First pharma patent in India under new regime goes to Roche

Swiss drugmaker Roche has become the first drug com-pany in India to receive a product patent under the new patent regime. The Patent Office has granted the product patent to Roche for Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a), a new generation hepatitis therapy, under the Mailbox facility for post-1995 inventions and is valid for 20 years from May 15,1997. More companies are now expected to receive patents for their technically complex products under the new rules.

Girish Telang, the chief executive of Roche Scientific India, commenting on the grant, said: "Pegasys is the result of a decade of Roche's pioneering research, and the product patent approval marks a major landmark for Roche in India. I foresee this development usher in the next wave for the Indian pharmaceutical industry, by way of a flow of newer innovative molecules to the Indian market, comple-mented by increased investments in R&D towards drug development efforts."

The cost of treatment with Pegasys for a 24 weeks therapy is about 250,000 rupees ($5,625), including diagnostic tests and ribavirin, which improves the drug's effectiveness.