[Ip-health] Italy issues compulsory license on Merck drug

Tue Mar 27 08:30:02 2007

Thanks to Kevin for drawing my attention to this.

Italy Orders Merck To Grant Free Licenses
Portfolio Media, New York (March 26, 2007)--Italy's antitrust
watchdog has ordered Merck & Co. Inc. to hand out free licenses for
its prostate medicine, in an effort to counterbalance the drug
maker=92s alleged abuse of its dominant position.

The order requires Merck and its Italian subsidiary, Merck Sharp &
Dohme, to grant non-exclusive licenses for generic versions of
Finasteride, which also treats baldness, two years before its
exclusive license expires in 2009, the Italian Competition Authority
decided on March 21.

---------------------------------
James Packard Love
Knowledge Ecology International
mailto:james.love@keionline.org
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / mobile+1.202.361.3040

"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks."  Bill Walton"