The company had filed a patent for Fumarate salt of bedaquiline in 2008 to extend its patent till the end of 2027. It was under review by the patent office. The strategy is called patent evergreening used by companies to keep the prices high as it would keep the affordably priced generic versions of the drug out of the market.
This will open doors for generic manufacturers to make their own versions at an affordable price this year. “In an order today, the controller of Patents refused to give any flexibility to the company,”a person told .
