U.S. pushes for protections by India

India remains on a “priority watch list” of nations that have inadequate systems for protecting and enforcing U.S. intellectual property (IP) rights, notably those for pharmaceuticals, the Obama Administration says in a congressionally mandated report. The annual list, released recently by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, imposes no sanction but aims to pressure governments into strengthening their IP laws and cracking down on piracy and counterfeiting. The report says India “has not taken the opportunity to address long-standing and systemic deficiencies in its IP regime” and cites a litany of concerns. For instance, it points to the “unpredictable application” of India’s patent law, which can be used to deny patent term extensions when drug companies make small modifications to existing medicines. However, consumer advocates argue that efforts by the U.S. to strengthen the pharmaceutical industry’s patent rights could restrict generics competition worldwide. “It’s outrageous that the U.S. government is once again attempting to stand in the way of India and other developing countries’ efforts to increase access to affordable, lifesaving medicines,” says the nonprofit group Doctors Without Borders.