title: India: Court upholds patent law  denying patents for slightly  modified versions of existing drugs.
abstract: In August 2007, the Madras High Court struck down a petition by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to declare the anti-evergreening provision in Indian patent law invalid. Evergreening is the practice of effectively extending the patent on a drug by filing a new patent for a marginal modification to that drug, such as a change in its shape, dosing range or color. The Court's decision is critical for global access to essential medicines in the form of affordable generic drugs from India
authors.forename: Madhavi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Swamy
mesh_terms: D007194:India; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D010330:Patents as Topic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*