Patent litigation in India continues to throw up new challenges

For several years after the reinstitution of a pharmaceutical patent regime in India, most innovator pharmaceutical companies have faced a string of high-profile defeats during litigation in India. In the last 2 years, however, the fortunes of pharmaceutical patentees have changed dramatically. Not only have Indian courts enforced pharmaceutical patents and issued injunctions restraining Indian generic companies from infringing valid patents, but they have also refused to invoke 'public interest' arguments to delay the enforcement of patents. This string of victories for pharmaceutical patents indicates a new era for the innovator industry in India. These victories for the innovator industry demonstrate the objectivity of the Indian judiciary. Even on the issue of compulsory licensing, the Patent Office, which functions as a part of the central government, has been restrained - granting only one compulsory license for a drug owned by Bayer but declining two other similar requests. Similarly, even the Indian judiciary while enforcing patents has also remained sensitive to the flexibilities in the Patents Act, such as the 'Bolar-type' provisions and compulsory licensing provisions.