Oxfam tells India to move cautiously on Trips

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TNNLast Updated: Dec 01, 2004, 03:10:00 AM IST

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Global relief and development agency Oxfam on Tuesday told Union commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath not to concede more proprietary rights to patent holders.

NEWDELHI: Global relief and development agency Oxfam on Tuesday told Union commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath not to concede more proprietary rights to patent holders than what is required under the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (Trips) agreement. Oxfam, in a letter to minister Kamal Nath, said Indian patent law should make maximum use of the flexibilities offered by the agreement on compulsory licensing and parallel imports. The letter also urged the commerce minister not to provide 'Trips plus' measures such as patenting new uses of older medicines. The letter said the government should retain the provision for pre-grant opposition to patents and also streamline and simplify the procedure with clear time frame. The agency said it was important for the country to allow export production of patented drugs. If this could not be done, automatic and fast-track procedure for granting compulsory licenses for export should be provided. The Oxfam letter said the third amendment to Indian patent law has serious implications not only for people in the country, but abroad also. If adequate safeguards are not put in place while becoming WTO compliant, the supply of affordable generic medicines may dry up after January 2005, the letter added.

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