National   

`Scrap Mashelkar report'

MUMBAI: Scientists and non-governmental organisations have demanded the scrapping of the Mashelkar Committee report, which has been criticised by the Left parties for alleged plagiarism.

At a recent brainstorming session here, experts flayed the report on two counts — overlooking the amendments to the Patents Act and patentability of new chemical entities (NCEs). The desire of MPs, during a debate in April 2005 on the subject, should be respected and issues pertaining to the patentability of NCEs and micro organism should be addressed without bias for a cost-effective health care, they said.

"This approach will also ensure an effective role of the domestic enterprises to promote access to medicine for all as recommended in the Doha Declaration on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement and Public Health."

The scientists and members of NGOs included S.P. Shukla, Dinesh Abrol, Mira Shiva, Ashok Parthasarathi, B.K. Keayla, K.M. Gopakumar, Devendra Sharma, Amit Sen Gupta and Vandana Shiva. For the last two years, they said, the TRIPS amendment Section (3d) of 2005 had not been disputed by any member of the WTO and was a direct proof of the acceptance of the amendment made in Parliament.

The technical committee, formed after the amendment, cannot deliberate on the amendment itself but had to decide whether any further improvement was necessary with respect to the scope of patentability of NCEs. — PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Gaiety, colour, fervour mark Holi festivities
Doctors advise Geelani to go abroad
`SHGs not empowering women fully'
Lalu, Nitish celebrate Holi
`Scrap Mashelkar report'
Kipling's home may become a museum
Irom Sharmila returns to Imphal
Tribal leader held after leading dharna
One killed, 12 injured in group clash
Pneumonia: India has most number of cases among children

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu