Novartis patent case: Five facts about the cancer drug Glivec

In a landmark judgement, India's Supreme Court on Monday rejected a patent plea by Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG for cancer drug Glivec, boosting the case for cheaper drugs for life-threatening diseases. Glivec was seen as being one of Novartis' flagship drugs, and a crucial weapon in the fight against cancer.

Here are five facts about the drug:

* Glivec is a medicine discovered and developed by Novartis for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a cancer of white blood cells and for the treatment of a rare form of stomach cancer called gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), notes National Cancer Institute .

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* Glivec is one of the first cancer drugs that validate rational drug design, based on an understanding of how some cancer cells function. These molecularly targeted drugs are different because they target abnormal proteins that are fundamental to the cancer itself, says the company's website.

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* Glivec, used in treating chronic myeloid leukemia and some other cancers, costs a patient about $2,600 (Rs 1,30,000) a month. Its generic version was available in India for around $175 (Rs 8,750) per month, reported Associated Press. The medicine is the lifeline for poor in many developing countries.

* Novartis had argued that it needed to new patent to protect its investment in the cancer drug Glivec while activists said the company was trying to use loopholes to make more money out of a drug whose patent had expired.

* Glivec has been patented in nearly 40 countries but only faced problems in India. The drug was given an EMR by the Indian patent office in the year 2003, which was for the duration of 5 years. Later, Novartis sued Ranbaxy and Cipla before the High Courts of Madras and Bombay for making the generic versions of Glivec. Novartis has fought a legal battle in India since 2006 for a fresh patent.