[Ip-health] The Hindu: Expert group to review Mashelkar report

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http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/14/stories/2007031407021200.htm

Expert group to review Mashelkar report
Special Correspondent

      To remove "technical inaccuracies" on patent law issues





NEW DELHI: The Government has permitted a Technical Expert Group to remove =
"technical inaccuracies'' from the controversial Mashelkar report on patent=
 law issues, Minister of State for Industries Ashwani Kumar said in a writt=
en reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The former chief of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR=
), R. A. Mashelkar, has been accused of plagiarising the recommendations of=
 a study backed by multinational pharmaceutical companies and presenting th=
em as his own in the report. He and four others were asked to study two key=
 issues that were objected to by the Left Parties while agreeing to help ap=
prove the Patents Bill.

Mr. Kumar said following reports in the media of plagiarism, Dr. Mashelkar =
had sought the Government's approval to "withdraw, re-examine and resubmit =
the report [so that it] meets with the requirements of the highest standard=
s. The Government has allowed the TEG to remove the technical inaccuracies =
in the report.''

However Left parties, experts and the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance wanted=
 the Government to reject the report because "it dresses up MNC interest as=
 national interest.'' They favoured a Joint Parliamentary Committee to exam=
ine the two issues =97 limiting pharma patents to a chemical entity or in c=
ase of substantial improvements and excluding micro organisms from the pate=
nts regime.
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