Two court cases could affect medicines patent law in India

In the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog, Leena Menghaney, a lawyer and India manager of the Access Campaign at Medecins Sans Frontieres, writes about "two critical legal battles between multinational pharmaceutical companies and the Indian government [that] are taking center stage in an ongoing struggle over India's medicines patent law." Before describing each case in detail, she summarizes, "One case goes to the heart of what merits a patent. The other addresses what countries can do when patented life-saving medicines are priced out of reach for the vast majority of patients." Menghaney concludes, "The world is watching closely, as these cases could have a profound impact on access to life-saving medicines for millions of people worldwide" (10/1).