Novartis Says Weak IP Protection Makes India R&D Impossible

Novartis once again said that India is not a place to do R&D because its IP laws are not strong enough to protect discoveries. In 2006, Novartis made a commitment to build a $125 million R&D facility in Hyderabad. The next year, after the company lost a patent battle over its blockbuster cancer drug, Gleevec (Glivec outside the US), Novartis reneged on the center. Last week, Novartis earmarked $1.25 billion for R&D activity in China. More details... Stock Symbol: (NYSE: NVS)