The Indian media continues to maintain that measures to stop counterfeit drugs are really patent-enforcing conspiracies to thwart their generics industry.
Remarkably their claims have become even more blunt, with a supposedly-impartial news report stating:
"India believes that the difference is crucial as counterfeits are actually high quality drugs manufactured by producers other than the patent holder while a spurious drug is a low quality drug which may be harmful for health."
How utterly, utterly wrong. Even if they mean "counterfeit" in the sense of "violating a trademark", how can they or anyone be sure that such a drug is high quality? If a patient cannot be sure who produced the drug, as the trademark is faked, how can they have any confidence in its quality?
Patents are irrelevant to this debate. IMPACT, the body constantly opposed in the Indian media and by industry lobbyists and government representatives, states in its definition that issues of patent-infringement must NOT be confused with counterfeiting.
So why the endless lies, and beligerent reaction to anti-counterfeiting activities?
India should support measures that reward its manufacturers of high quality drugs while rightly hindering producers of fakes.
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