Abbot’s HIV drug patent application rejected by Indian Patent Office

Image by Anqa

In a recent development that is being seen as a relief to millions infected with HIV, the Indian Patent Office has rejected a patent application (339/MUMNP/2006) filed by Abbot Laboratories for an HIV drug Lopinavir/ritonavir sold under the brand name Kaletra or Aluvia. The grant of patent was opposed by way of a pre-grant opposition by ‘Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge’ (I-MAK), a US based nonprofit organisation and Indian pharma companies like Cipla (Mumbai), Matrix Laboratories (Secunderabad) and Okasa Pharmaceuticals (Mumbai). The decision to reject the application included the ground that the invention didn’t clearly involve an inventive step and was found to be obvious to a person skilled in the art.

About Kaletra
Lopinavir/ritonavir is a type of protease inhibitor (PI). The HIV replicates and multiplies itself by using a protein called ‘protease’. PIs block the protease and thereby preventing HIV from making copies of itself. Lopinavir alone quickly breaks down in the body. Ritonavir slows down this process and increases the time that lopinavir stays in the bloodstream. This combination drug is a second line medicine that is considered to be the frontline of defense for HIV positive patients who have developed resistance to the available first line medicines.

Authored by Mr. Sandeep Hegde M.

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