Indian Court Upholds Compulsory License

India’s Intellectual Property Appellate Board has upheld a ruling that allowed the compulsory licensing of the Bayer cancer drug Nexavar by India’s Natco Pharma. Last year’s ruling, the first compulsory licensing of a drug in India, allowed Natco to sell a generic version of Nexavar. That ruling also required Natco to pay Bayer a 6% sales royalty. Natco sells the generic in India for $170 per patient per month, versus Bayer’s official pricing of $5,300 per month. The nongovernmental organization Doctors Without Borders says the decision paves the way for compulsory licensing of other expensive drugs now protected by patents.