ROCHE: Cuando las barbas de BAYER veo "pelar" ...pongo las mias a "rebajar".

Roche has said it will make cheaper versions of its cancer drugs Herceptin and MabThera available in India, a move that follows recent efforts from the country's goverment to crack down on high-price branded medicines.

Earlier this month, India’s patent office granted a ‘compulsory licence’ to a generic version of Bayer’s Nexevar despite it still being in patent, ruling that the German firm had not made the drug available to the public at a ‘reasonable affordable price’.

Roche plans to partners with India-based Emcure Pharmaceuticals to manufacture and market the cut-price versions of Herceptin and MabThera, with both drugs also facing changes to their branding, according to a Reuters report.

India, which has a pharmaceutical market worth of about $20bn, is currently facing pressure to improve access to cheaper drugs and its Department of Pharmaceuticals is working on bringing in new drug pricing legislation. (Más)