Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an RSS outfit, on Monday asked the Government to use the public health safeguards in the Patents Act to grant licence to more pharmaceutical companies for the production of Covid vaccines and medicines. The country may require 200 crore vaccine doses in the next six months.
The SJM has started a “Digital Signature Campaign” for Universal Access of Vaccine and Medicines. According to sources, though the Centre is working towards giving licence to more companies, the “pharma lobby” may be the pushing against this move.
Talking to The Pioneer, National Co-Convener of the SJM Aswini Mahajan, said, “We are trying to identify Indian firms with competence .... We have the competence, we sell medicines to 200 countries.”
Mahajan said in 1990 during the TRIPS negotiations, India presented its side that in the eventuality of a pandemic, the Government has competence to cancel patents. He said in 2009, Indian company NATCO had manufactured cancer drugs bringing its price down by thousand times.