India against inclusion of data exclusivity in any FTA

New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI) India today said it was against inclusion of 'data exclusivity' provision in any of its free trade agreements as it would hurt interests of the domestic pharmaceuticals industry, dominated by generics.

Commerce and Industry Anand Shrma said that data protection must be respected as data exclusivity is beyond the provisions of Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement under WTO.

"India does not provide data exclusivity for pharmaceuticals and agro-chemicals, which is in the paramount interest of our generic pharmaceutical industry as grant of data exclusivity would have considerable impact in delaying the entry into the market of cheaper generic drugs," he said in a statement here.

India's generic drug industry is estimated at over USD 20 billion and the country exports 50 per cent of its produce.

Source: ptinews.com