AstraZeneca says no big shift on India patent case

By Jason Subler

BEIJING, Sept 4 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is not planning any major changes to its investments in India after a recent court ruling backed a law viewed as weakening patent protections, Chief Executive David Brennan said on Tuesday.

AstraZeneca's position contrasts with that of Novartis (NOVN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), whose chief executive, Daniel Vasella, said in August that the firm would probably move large investments elsewhere after the ruling, which rejected a Novartis challenge to a law that denies patents for minor improvements to known drugs.

"I think that will set some tone for how people operate, but it hasn't caused us to go back and take a major shift of our operations there," AstraZeneca's Brennan told reporters.

"I think over time that they'll continue to get challenged on it a bit, but it hasn't caused us to say we're going to do anything differently."

AstraZeneca in January announced a $15 million investment in a new process research and development facility in India, where chemists draw up "recipes" for new medicines. The facility joined the group's existing centre for TB drug discovery, which was established in 2002.

The recent ruling would also not have any specific impact in terms of ramping up the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker's investments in China, Brennan said.

"We've got a longer-term view of what China can be that we started investing in a few years ago, so India's not there yet," he said.