Product Patenting in the Indian Pharma Sector

In the recent times the Indian pharma sector has been marked by dynamic changes. The Patent Act of 1970 as amended on March 22, 2005 marked the end of a protected era and has brought in a new phase in the integration of India into the global pharmaceutical market. The new amendment further makes copying of post-1995 patented drugs illegal. At the same time the amendment granting product patents has been hailed to be opening vast opportunities to the Indian Pharmaceutical firms. A look at the sector shows that large companies like Ranbaxy, Nicholas Piramal, Dr Reddy's, Wockhardt, Lupin etc, have been investing heavily in R&D and are planning to launch their own-patented molecules all over the world. Wockhardt in order to bring innovative and advanced drugs in speciality areas to India, has signed an in-licensing agreement with Life Sciences Investment Limited (LSI), a UK based company, to market and produce Vitrix, a patented product for the treatment of vitiligo, a pigmentation