Repurposed medicines and Compulsory licensing

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Repurposed drugs are used in COVID treatment.

Concept:

• Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, is a drug development strategy predicated on the reuse of existing licensed drugs for new medical indications

Compulsory licensing and section 92

• Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself.
• It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.
• Indian law permits the government to issue a compulsory licence in certain circumstances of a public health crisis under Section 92 of the Indian Patents Act. This would allow third parties to manufacture a patented drug without permission of the patent holder.