Skip to main content

Efforts to protect innovations through India IPR policy have received a leg up, but the rejection of a compulsory licence application proves the real icing on the cake.

The government’s commitment to the global community at large to protect innovations is now visible through India’s national IPR policy, Make in India and the recent success stories in the Merck and Hoffman La Roche patent infringement actions. The icing on the cake was the recent rejection of the compulsory license application of Lee Pharma, a Hyderabad-based generic company, for AstraZeneca’s patent for saxagliptin. Since 2011, three applications have filed under Section 84 of the Indian Patents Act. While the Controller General granted a compulsory license to Natco for Bayer’s patent for Nexavar, BDR Pharmaceuticals’ and Lee Pharmaceuticals’ applications for compulsory license for patent claims on dasatinib (Bristol-Myers Squibb) and saxagliptin (AstraZeneca) were prima facie rejected in 2014 and 2015-2016.

This article walks through the compulsory license proceedings of Lee Pharma for saxagliptin. 

Authored by Pravin Anand and Archana Shanker.

This article was published in Asia IP February 2016.

Read more

Most Recent

News & Insights

VIEW ALL
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Sep 25, 2026

India’s startup ecosystem is becoming increasingly innovation-led, and the country’s intellectual property numbers offer an interesting glimpse into

India’s IP Numbers Tell a Bigger Story  About Startup Founders in India
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Sep 21, 2026

First published by Asialaw. By: Lakshmidevi Somanath The law currently provides creators exclusive rights over their creation for a limited time, which

From Innovation Incentives to Technology Diffusion: Protecting IP Created by Agentic AI
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Sep 21, 2026

First published by Lexology. Authors: Lakshmidevi Somanath and Kanishka Vaish I. INTRODUCTION The analysis of intellectual property licensing has usually

IP Licenses in Hybrid form and Royalty Payments Post-Patent Expiration: Balancing Patent Expiration and Continuing Rights to Trade Secrets and Know-How
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Sep 20, 2026

For a startup founder, a cease and desist notice can arrive at an uncomfortable point in the life of a business: when a brand is gaining recognition, a

Is a Cease and Desist Notice Legally Binding in India: Consequences of an IP Dispute for Startups