The issue of redefining counterfeit drugs has spilled into political realm with CPI general secretary A B Bardhan taking up the issue with the Prime Minister to stop Indian health officials from attending the proposed meeting in Germany and terming the move by IMPCAT as an agenda by multinationals to halt the export of Indian medicines.
In a letter to Dr Manmohan Singh, CPI severely criticised the IMPACT and International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) for resorting to the garb of 'counterfeit' definition to block the availability of generic medicines both in and outside the country.
"We have heard that there is once again a renewed attempt by multinationals companies and developed countries to block generics manufactured in India from sale and export. This attempt is under the guise of tackling sub-standard and spurious medicines. Known as anti-counterfeiting, there are numerous proposals being floated internationally to define counterfeiting in a way that would block legal generics from being exported," the letter said, recalling the Indian efforts in the past to ensure access to cheap and quality generic drugs.
He said the effort of the Parliament by passing Patent Law with this goal was being undermined by the new attempt, being pushed by the International Medical Products Anti counterfeiting Task Force whose antecedents clearly talked about furthering the agenda of halting Indian drug exports. "We would like to reiterate that this measure by IMPACT has no official sanction from the World Health Assembly. In fact India and other developing countries have in May this year successfully halted a resolution on counterfeiting and even deleted from the Global Strategy on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property any reference to the term counterfeiting," he said.
"We are concerned that after all the public positions taken by India internationally, meetings organised by this group are now being attended by the Ministry of Health. Moreover, the DCGI has held meetings with industry groups on this matter without any public consultation, in view of a meeting by IMPACT in Bonn, Germany. We would like to know who has invited DCGI and joint secretary, health to this meeting. Why has the Ministry of health decided to participate in it? What position is the ministry taking at this meeting?" CPI leader asked.
Noting that the patients not just in India but in other developing countries too depended on Indian generic medicines, he urged the Prime Minister to ask health ministry to reject any invitation from this group and not attach any legitimacy to their meetings by attending them, so that the official position of the country does not change.