The Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) fighting for affordable medicines in India once again started their campaigns against Novartis products, following the new writ petition filed by the multinational company for its anti cancer drug, Glivec.

As a beginning, the Drug Action Forum - Karnataka (DAF-K) and All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) have re-launched its boycott Novartis campaign, "with vigour than ever before". The organisations have started sending letters to all branches of Indian Medical Association (IMA), seeking support to reduce the number of prescriptions on the drug.

The action follows the latest stay order issued by Chennai High Court, on further proceedings of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) on the patentability of Glivec. Novartis, on August 8, filed a writ petition stating that the IPAB had committed error in dismissing its plea to exclude its Technical Member S Chandrasekaran from hearing its statutory appeals.

DAF-K has come out with a list of 80 Novartis products, seeking the medical practitioners to prescribe any another best product other than the Novartis' drugs. The forum also has identified two products, the pain killer drug Voveran and the calcium preparation, Calcuim Sandoz, which cover around 45 per cent market of both the segments that needed to be boycotted by consumers.

The public health movement organisation, Jana Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), is expected to come out with a resolution to join the boycott within a couple of days, according to sources. "This movement is to raise public opinion towards the case and its importance in keeping the drug prices affordable all over the third world countries," says Dr Gopal Dabade, president, DAF-K.