Pediatric drug patent denied in India

Germany-based drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim has been denied a patent by the India Patent office in Dehli, for a pediatric version of its non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, Viramune (nevirapine). The ruling is the first of 13 expected after a concerted campaign by anti-patent groups in India against what they consider to be incremental improvements in drugs.

The pediatric version of the HIV/AIDS drug is a syrup designed for children who have difficulty swallowing tablets. India's 2005 Patent Law has been the focus of controversy over its restriction on what critics claim are not genuine innovations (Marketletters passim).