Generics And Innovators - Saying I Do And Doing Battle

Arguably, the opening of the Indian economy and India's Patents (Amendment) Act 2005 has had a most significant impact in the area of pharmaceuticals. With the new regime, the $8 billion Indian pharmaceutical industry has been forced to adapt and recast its business models. The introduction of product patents has provided a fresh impetus to domestic research programs whilst firms continue to leverage on existing product portfolios which are centred on generics. It is a time of foreign investment, simultaneously Indian companies are aggressively pursuing global opportunities. With an unprecedented number of mergers, acquisitions, alliances and increased litigation in recent years, making sense of developments is no easy task. In the first of our updates, we look at some recent developments that indicate that generics and innovators are increasingly co-existing even whilst older combative positions persist.