The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) has asked the Government of India to cancel the Exclusive Marketing Rights (EMR) granted to a Swiss pharma company, Novartis, for marketing the cancer drug, Imatinb Mesylate in India. The drug Imatinb Mesylate has shown encouraging results and promises to be an effective cure for the killer disease. This drug is presently being produced by several Indian companies. On the basis of EMR granted to Novartis by the Controller General of Patents, the company has been able to secure interim order from the Madras High Court against the Indian companies manufacturing and marketing this drug.
?Grant of EMR to Novartis to produce this drug has threatened the lives of lakhs of cancer patients, as Novartis is marketing this product in the brand name of Gleevec, making the cost of treatment to be Rs 1,20,000 per month. The cost of treatment at present comes out to be approx Rs 10,000 to 11,000 per month, which itself seems to be very high,? the SJM said in a statement issued in New Delhi.
