Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has filed an appeal in a Madras court against a decision not to grant it a patent on a modified form of its Gleevec leukaemia drug. India’s 2005 patent law states that new patents must no be granted to products that represent “incremental innovations” and only protects completely new compounds that were invented after 1995. Gleevec was found to be a new form of an existing treatment that was developed before 1995 – leaving local manufacturers free to copy the drug. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned that tens of thousands of people being treated for HIV/AIDS could suffer if the appeal succeeds. MSF says that if the specific provision of Indian patent law that Novartis is challenging is overturned, it would see patents being granted much more widely. MSF says this would restrict supplies of cheap generic drugs that many in the developing world depend on – particularly as India has become one of the chief suppliers of generic drugs in the world. Novartis says it gives free supplies of Gleevac to 6,800 patients in India – representing more than 90 percent of those who suffer from the rare form of the illness that the drug was designed to fight. Novartis also says that the intellectual property rights must be protected if research and development is to continue.

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has filed an appeal in a Madras court against a decision not to grant it a patent on a modified form of its Gleevec leukaemia drug. India’s 2005 patent law states that new patents must no be granted to products that represent “incremental innovations” and only protects completely new compounds that were invented after 1995. Gleevec was found to be a new form of an existing treatment that was developed before 1995 – leaving local manufacturers free to copy the drug. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned that tens of thousands of people being treated for HIV/AIDS could suffer if the appeal succeeds. MSF says that if the specific provision of Indian patent law that Novartis is challenging is overturned, it would see patents being granted much more widely. MSF says this would restrict supplies of cheap generic drugs that many in the developing world depend on – particularly as India has become one of the chief suppliers of generic drugs in the world. Novartis says it gives free supplies of Gleevac to 6,800 patients in India – representing more than 90 percent of those who suffer from the rare form of the illness that the drug was designed to fight. Novartis also says that the intellectual property rights must be protected if research and development is to continue.

I broke out in an all body rash day 12 on Gleevec. The doctor is treating it and today, day 15, it is starting to go away.

I am on day 4 of treatment so I can't really comment on anything at this point.

I have been on gleevec since mid march 2009 and they have just take me off due to all the side effects I am having, mainly a very bad rash. It was controlling my blood levels.

Low grade fever, muscle and joint pain

Been on it for just two weeks.

I have been taking it for 2 weeks. I am having nausea, dizziness, and I am so tired I don't want to get off the couch sometimes. I am having some bone and joint pain too.

I pick up my prescription on Monday.

Just starting today