Summit by US Pharma Firms: Health Ministry Officials’ Participation Raises Eyebrows
“ These corporations, through their lobbies, often attack India’s intellectual property regime and drug regulations .” say public health activists. New Delhi: The participation of senior ocials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in a meeting in the US organised by the American biopharmaceutical industry lobbying group has raised concerns among the activists in the public health sector. Expressing their concern, various civil society groups and activists, including All India Drug Action Network, National Working Group on Patent Laws, Drug Action Forum – Karnataka, Swasthya Adhikar Manch, Dr. Arun Gupta, Convener of Alliance Against Conict of Interest and Raman V R, Public Health Practitioner have written a letter to health minister JP Nadda, agging the possibility of ‘undue inuence’ by big pharma companies. The 13th Annual BioPharma & Healthcare Summit organised by the USA-India Chamber of Commerce...