Petition

Please consider signing a petition by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres.)

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is suing the Indian government to restrict generic drug production and sales in India. This may risk countless lives in the developing world.

In the past, India allowed patents only on a select number of drugs. Thus, India has become a haven for generic production that provides for the healthcare needs of many people in developing world. Over half of the medicines used for AIDS patients in developing countries come from India. 80 percent of AIDS drugs used in MSF projects come from India.

Now the WTO (World Trade Organization) rules require that India begins to grant patents on drugs across the board. Based on the WTO rule, Novartis is suing India to restrict generic production. If the company is successful, the lawsuit may restrict access to affordable medicine to millions of people worldwide.