Kerala High Court Reserves Verdict in Suo Motu Case on Patented Medicine Prices

The Kerala High Court has reserved its verdict in a suo motu case examining the exorbitant price of patented life-saving medicines.

The proceedings trace back to a petition filed by a patient diagnosed with breast cancer who was taking Ribociclib for her condition. She sought directives to the government to take over the medication's patent and make it available at the lowest possible price. She passed away while the case was pending before the court.

Considering the larger public interest, the court subsequently took up the matter on its own motion.

The High Court also allowed a breast cancer patient from Malappuram to be impleaded in a petition concerning the exorbitant price of life-saving breast cancer medication.

Earlier, the court had sought expert opinion on whether a cheaper drug that was no longer under patent, and was locally manufactured, could be used as a substitute for treating breast cancer.

The amicus curiae in the case submitted that the clinical and toxicological profiles of the two drugs were different and that they should not be substituted.