India’s Patent Office Rejects Compulsory License for Dasatinib

India’s patents regulator Oct. 29 rejected an Indian generic drug company’s application to make and sell cheaper versions of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s leukemia drug dasatinib, sold under the brand name Sprycel.

In its ruling, the Controller of Patents said the Indian company, BDR Pharmaceuticals, had failed to make adequate efforts to get a voluntary license from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) to make dasatinib. Under Indian patent law, this is a basic requirement before the patent office even considers the merits of an application for a compulsory license. Only if an applicant doesn’t succeed in getting a voluntary license six months after the ...