HIV patients in developing countries stand to gain greater access to life-saving treatment after Indian authorities overturned the patents on a leading antiretroviral drug.
The Delhi patent office upheld an appeal by Cipla, the Indian generic drug maker, to reject the intellectual protection on tenofovir, known by the brand name Viread, one of the widely used HIV treatments.
The decision, which could still be challenged by a parallel patent filing, eases constraints holding back India's thriving low-cost generic drug companies from producing cheaper versions of the drug for sale in emerging markets. It also raises the prospect of greater competition and deeper price cuts.