Novartis

In 2006, Novartis launched a court case against India seeking to prohibit the country from developing affordable generic drugs based on patented medicines. Novartis had challenged a law that allows India to refuse to recognize a patent for an existing medicine if the formula had been modified only slightly in order to re-patent the drug. Over half of the world's population make less that USD 2.00 a day and millions of people living in poverty around the world depend on Indian generic medicines for their survival. On August 5, 2007 an Indian court in Madras ruled against Novartis saying that, "Novartis’ legal challenge - mounted to limit competition to its own patented medicines - was a threat to people suffering from cancer, HIV and AIDS, diabetes and other diseases who are too poor to pay for them." The high court also claimed to have no jurisdiction on whether Indian Patent law complied with WTO patent guidelines.

In the months leading up to the hearing, over half a million people wrote to the CEO of Novartis expressing their opposition to the suit. Novartis has decided not to appeal the ruling.