Washington’s push for intellectual property rights in the pharma industry is an attack on India’s generic drug trade, New Delhi says as a US government report accuses India of distributing counterfeit drugs worldwide.
Authorities in New Delhi were appalled as the “Special 301 report” published by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Saturday pinpointed India – alongside China – as the leading global sources of counterfeit medicines. The document, which reviews the state of intellectual property protection around the world, also alleges that up to 20 percent of drugs sold on the Indian market are fake and represent a danger to public health and safety.
Meanwhile, the Indian health care official slammed the findings of the report asserting that the accusations are meant to put pressure on affordable generic drugs. “We strongly disagree with the observations made by USTR. We do not know the genesis and methodology of their findings. Instead, we view this as opposition to low-cost generics and the thriving Indian drug manufacturing industry,” health secretary Preeti Sudan told local media.