In a landmark victory for patients' groups fighting against patents, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) has revoked a patent granted in India to Roche for Pegasys, a medicine used to treat Hepatitis C.
The order followes an appeal filed by a Mumbai-based non-profit organisation, Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust, challenging the rejection of its post-grant opposition by the Patent Office. The appeal was against a decision the IPO delivered in March 2009, which rejected the Trust's post-grant opposition against the grant of patent for Pegasys (Peg-Interferon a2a). The appeal is allowed through the IPAB order now.
