A market full of potential also calls for constant reviews in its policies.

Check out this news on sweeping changes in the US patent laws.

Finally Lupin managed to break the ramipril patents held by King Pharma…read the judgement.

Cynics of patent challenges by generic companies may want to hide. In a matter of two days, Sun Pharma and Lupin have been awarded judgements that reaffirm the belief that loopholes in the existing product patents can be tapped to throw out frivolous or wrong patent claims.

Sun Pharma and Teva had challeneged the Protonix patent of Wyeth and though the trials are yet to begin, a plea for temporary injunction by Wyeth was rejected by the District Court. This could mean that the two companies could launch the product but another interpretation is that since the court trials are yet begun, it may be too much of a risk to launch the product. Protonix, used to treat heart burn with nearly $ 2 bln in sales is among the top ten global blockbusters.

Lupin aggressively pursued Ramipril and has finally succeeded. King Pharma and Aventis could keep Cobalt of Canada out of the market by settling the case earlier, not Lupin. Its really commendable that though Lupin had lost the case in the lower court, it came back with stronger arguments to win rights for the $ 600 mln year product in the US. Lupin is expected to make it to the market with a six month market exclusivity period for the blood pressure drug ramipril.

It may take some time to hear the next big para four patent victory by an Indian company but what these cases surely do, is to establish that Indian companies know and understand drugs as much, if not better than their western peers.

I am now watching out for similar feats in new drug discovery.