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Volume 356:541-543 February 8, 2007 Number 6 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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In August and September 2006, patients with cancer, lawyers for patient advocacy groups, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) converged on the offices of Novartis in Mumbai, India, to protest the company's efforts to obtain an Indian patent on Gleevec, the company's brand-name version of imatinib mesylate. Gleevec (spelled Glivec outside the United States) is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia, and Novartis has patented the drug in 35 countries. The protesters also decried the drug's high price: Novartis sells it in India (where only 5% of people have private health insurance) for $26,000 per year; generic-drug manufacturers offer the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

Ms. Mueller is a professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh.

An interview with Ms. Mueller is available at www.nejm.org.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kesselheim, A. S., Choudhry, N. K. (2008). The International Pharmaceutical Market as a Source of Low-Cost Prescription Drugs for U.S. Patients. ANN INTERN MED 148: 614-619 [Abstract] [Full Text]