Plea against patent for pneumonia vaccine filed by Panacea Biotec

New Delhi: Drug firm Panacea Biotec has filed a review petition against the grant of a patent with regard to a pneumonia vaccine to the US-based company Wyeth, Parliament was informed.

"After grant of patent, Panacea Biotech Ltd has filed a Review Petition on September 28, 2017...The review petition has been taken up for disposal as per law," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The Controller of Patents has approved the grant of a patent to Wyeth for "Multivalent Pneumococcal Polysaccharide-Protein Conjugate Composition" on August 11 this year.

He said the petitioner has submitted that the "impugned decision is liable to be set aside with all attendant consequences, including the recall of patent grant and ordering of a fresh hearing.

He also said that Panacea Biotech and Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) India had opposed the grant of the patent.

After hearing the oppositions, the patent office granted the patent.

On whether the government has any proposal to include pneumococcal vaccines in its universal immunisation programme, the minister said as per recommendations of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and approval of Mission Steering Group, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine has been introduced in the programme on May 13 in all 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh, six districts of Uttar Pradesh and 17 districts in Bihar.

Under this programme, the vaccine is given at 6 and 14 weeks respectively and a booster at 9 months of age.

Till October, around 5.7 lakh doses of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine have been administered since introduction, he added.