Johnson and Johnson has gotten patent protection for its new ARV Etravirine – the only ARV to get such protection apart from pharma giant Pfizer’s Maravoric last year.
The impact of this drug has not been determined yet and its being watched closely by NGO’s and civil action groups who are contemplating filing post patent oppositions. Logically the patent protection will make generic copies of the drug impossible to produce and in a country with an AIDS problem like ours this is highly problematic.
For what happens next watch this space. For the whole article click here.
For patent details catch updates at Patent Circle.
http://patentcircle.blogspot.com/2008/02/patent-granted-for-antiretroviral-drug.html