USIBC's `Coalition for Healthy India` Releases 3(d) Report in Geneva

GENEVA--(Business Wire)--
At a roundtable organized by the Coalition for Innovation Employment and
Development, the U.S.-India Business Council's 'Coalition for Healthy India'
released the findings of its report on "The Value of Incremental Pharmaceutical
Innovation: Benefits for Indian Patients and Indian Business". The report
highlights and substantiates the impact of restrictive policies in India, with
respect to medical and pharmaceutical innovation. The report adds a
patient-centric perspective to the public dialogue on IPR and drug patents and
points out the positive impact that incremental innovation can have on patient
care.

Dedicated to ensuring that Indian patients have access to the latest and most
effective treatments and cures, CHI brings together like-minded members of the
U.S. and Indian business communities, non-governmental organizations, patient
advocacy organizations and health professionals to coordinate and support
improved access to quality healthcare in India.

According to CHI's Greg Kalbaugh, "We're here in Geneva because we want to make
sure that the voice of the patient doesn't get lost in the debate about
intellectual property and drug patents. Incremental pharmaceutical innovation
has very real benefits, not just for Indian patients, but for patients around
the globe. It leads to the development of life-saving drugs as well as drugs
that markedly improve quality of life. These are important innovations."

Mr. Kalbaugh pointed out that "The facts bear this out - over 60% of the drugs
on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines reflect
incremental improvements of older drugs. And in recent years, incremental
pharmaceutical innovations have accounted for as much as 65% of new drug
approvals by regulatory agencies."

He provided a clear example: "Heat-stable anti-retroviral drugs may not be
critically important to people in large cities where there's easy access to
electricity and refrigeration, but they're surely important to people in rural
areas. People living in rural areas deserve to know that when they take a drug,
it's going to work whether they have access to refrigeration or not.
Unfortunately, section 3(d) of India's patent law actively discourages just that
sort of life-saving innovation."

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), formed in 1975 at the request of the
Government of India and the U.S. Government to deepen trade and strengthen
commercial ties, is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The
U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world`s largest business federation representing
more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and
region.

www.usibc.com

U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC)
Greg Kalbaugh, 202-463-5778
gkalbaugh@uschamber.com

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