Actor Poonam Pandey is not being considered as the brand ambassador of the government's national campaign to spread awareness on cervical cancer, Union health ministry officials said on Wednesday.
Merck alleges violation of its patent for anti-diabetes drugs Januvia and Janumet.
Drug firm MSD has decided to enter into voluntary licensing agreements for investigational oral antiviral drug candidate 'Mmolnupiravir', which is being studied for the treatment of Covid-19, with Indian drug firms Sun Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, Emcure Pharma and Hetero Labs, its Indian arm said on Tuesday.
In spite of all their complaints, pharma MNCs have been gaining market share in India. And this growth has come largely with generics.
The development assumes significance as on Monday the Supreme Court had rejected the plea of Novartis AG for patent protection of its anti-cancer drug Glivec.
A bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Indermeet Kaur took the plea of US pharma major on record and posted it for hearing before another bench on April 12.
A lot of global products are yet to be launched in the country. In the last eight months, we have launched six products from our global product portfolio.
Merck is all set to introduce three of its money-spinning drugs - Cosopt, Invanz and Pneuvax in India.
The company did not respond to specific queries on the project's expansion.
At least two key drugs in the gliptin category have already gone off patent and cheaper variants are crowding the market. Also, several patent expiries are round the corner for the newest category of drugs - SGLT-2 inhibitors or gliflozins.
A recent report has suggested that future patent expires in the cardiac and anti-diabetes space would form a good opportunity for smaller firms, given their franchise in these segments.
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