The Madras High Court has stayed till September 10 the hearing on Novartis' by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB). The IPAB is hearing the Novartis case in which the Swiss pharma major has challenged the rejection of patent for its blockbuster cancer drug Glivec by the Indian Patent Controller. The next hearing has been scheduled for September 10.

The court has ordered that the IPAB should not continue to hear the case until the High Court has issued a final decision regarding the technical member.

Novartis had taken strong exception to the appointment of Chandrasekharan as the technical member of the IPAB terming him an interested party on the plea that Chandrasekharan was the controller general of patent office when the 'Novartis' patent application for its blockbuster cancer drug Glivec was rejected.

The Novartis had challenged the matter before the IPAB. But, the IPAB in Chennai dismissed Novartis petition against the appointment of S Chandrasekharan as the IPAB technical member. After the IPAB rejected Novartis demand for a new technical member, Novartis had moved Madras High Court on this issue.