In an gesture of support to the cause of Indian civil society organizations fighting government move to introduce data exclusivity in drugs, US based health activists and professionals led by organizations like Stop HIV/AIDS in India Initiative, Association for India's Development-CP, Students Global AIDS Campaign and American Medical Students Association have called for a peaceful demonstration before Indian Embassy in Washington, United States, on July 8, 2006. The activists would deliver a petition signed by hundreds of people at the Indian Embassy urging India not to adopt new amendments that would limit affordable AIDS medications worldwide.

The activists complain that the proposed amendment to Drugs and Cosmetics Act to add data exclusivity provisions would negatively affect India's ability to provide affordable generic drugs to millions of people around the world living with diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and many more. "As India is one of the largest global suppliers of low-cost medicines, without access to these generic drugs, millions of people in developing countries will die," they fear.

"6.5 million people in the world need HIV treatment today and only 1.3 million are getting it. 70,000 children in India need ARV treatment urgently and only 1048 are getting it. In India, less than 4 per cent HIV-positive pregnant women get counselling or ARV prophylaxis to prevent transmission to the child. It is a fight between profits of the multinational pharmaceutical companies and lives of the people." We aim to expose this devastating trade-off and the associated harmful effects that data exclusivity provisions will have on our collective worldwide health. We also intend to both urge and demand that the Indian government stand up to the immense pressure of multinational pharmaceutical companies and maintain its leadership to provide affordable medicines to the people globally. Dr Vineeta Gupta of Stop HIV/AIDS in India Initiative stated.

Stating that the current Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property rights (TRIPs) regulations, part of World Trade Organization rules, do not include data exclusivity clauses and thus India is not obligated to impose data exclusivity laws, the activists want the global civil society to know that the reason for India contemplating data exclusivity norms 'is the pressure from the United States and multinational pharmaceutical companies to enact data exclusivity provisions'.