Bedaquiline is an important drug for children suffering from tuberculosis and Johnson & Johnson Company applied to the Indian Patent Office to obtain a patent for this drug. The patent application was challenged by tuberculosis survivors, who claimed that the patent would create a monopoly for the company and make the drug expensive, and that the ingredients used in bedaquiline are used in other drugs. Due to this challenge, the patent office rejected the company's application. This has paved the way for children suffering from tuberculosis to get cheap medicine.
Johnson & Johnson manufactures bedaquiline for tuberculosis patients. The company's application to get a patent for this drug was challenged in 2020 by Ganesh Acharya, who was cured of tuberculosis and works for tuberculosis patients, and a civil society group. The drug bedaquiline, which the company is seeking a patent for in this challenge, is not new. Also, various ingredients used in it are used in medicines made by other companies for adult tuberculosis patients.
Therefore, if the company is granted a patent for the drug bedaquiline, it will create a monopoly for the next few years in the manufacture of this drug. Therefore, other drug companies will not be able to manufacture this drug. Ganesh Acharya and Civil Society Group claimed that as a result, the medicine will become expensive and it will be difficult to fight tuberculosis. Taking cognizance of this, the Indian Patent Office rejected the patent application of Johnson & Johnson Company.
Ganesh Acharya said that this will pave the way for other companies to manufacture bedaquiline medicine for children and help in making children's medicine available at a cheaper price. The Indian Patent Office's decision has been welcomed by TB survivors.
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