Developed cancer drug for 'western patients' who could afford, not 'for Indians': Bayer's CEO

[amitkriit]

Right...So basically, you are saying India will commit theft.

Yes if that saves Indian lives. You can call it whatever you want.

 

[MarkusS]

The MNCs have been complaining for more than 20 years. Yet, they establish R&D centres in this country for research. They are more than welcome to exist or exit and let me assure you, there are more than enough pharma companies in India who can absorb the researchers.

And we are not interested in playing by the rules if it means lives of our countrymen. The pharma companies are here because they derive profit. If this were not the case, the Bayer CEO would not apologise. They know the importance of this market.

is our investment secure? and how much worth has the fact that we must ve able to live from our work in your country?

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

India is only trying to do something that can help even middle class and poor Americans and Europeans in the long run. Alas they don't want to understand since it's a non-Western nation taking this stand.

 

[amitkriit]

you do realize that the development of each drug costs between 4 and 11 billion $? It takes years, thousands of studies. its a gigantic task.

That is their money. We will be extremely happy if they spend all their money for the benefit of the humanity and go bankrupt in the process. We will send a Thank you note in recognition of their service to the Human race.

 

[JohnyD]

you do realize that the development of each drug costs between 4 and 11 billion $? It takes years, thousands of studies. its a gigantic task.

give me the data as far as cancer drug is conerned....seems, u didnt read my comment saying "do u ve a heart:" which i guess u dont ve...so lets take it otherwise....I am signing out now but will reply tomorrw...hope u r true europeans and not somome migrated from ..........

 

[MarkusS]

India is only trying to do something that can help even middle class and poor Americans and Europeans in the long run. Alas they don't want to understand since it's a non-Western nation taking this stand.

who will develop new drugs then, if its not profitable anymore? explain please

 

[surya kiran]

is our investment secure? and how much worth has the fact that we must ve able to live from our work in your country?

Its worth the life of my countrymen. Now, if pharma companies cannot play by the rules laid down by the GoI, like I said, they are welcome to exit. As per past record, they have remained.

 

[Kloitra]

As long as they are not getting bankrupt we must allow them to manage on their own. They can make all the money they want by selling drugs to their European customers at a price they like.

I am not contradicting myself at all.

All our actions which serve our "interest" are legal. Off course not picking up a fight when we are weaker than the opponent serves our interest and hence is legal. So is picking up a fight and butchering our opponent in the most gruesome manner if we can do it without suffering any consequences and if that benefits our people.

Financial health of Bayer is none of our concern, they do not pay tax to the Government of India. Their profitability doesn't benefit us. But access to their medicine at affordable price does benefit our people, hence we are justified in ignoring the patent.

This was your original comment. In which you totally ignore Bayer's concern about its profitability. That is why I raised the question.

 

[surya kiran]

who will develop new drugs then, if its not profitable anymore? explain please

Here s the deal. Setup R&D in Europe. Test it on Europeans, manufacture the same in Europe And when you cannot afford the drug, dont come crying.

 

[MarkusS]

give me the data as far as cancer drug is conerned....seems, u didnt read my comment saying "do u ve a heart:" which i guess u dont ve...so lets take it otherwise....I am signing out now but will reply tomorrw...hope u r true europeans and not somome migrated from ..........

im half german / half italian...hope thats true enough for you. And i have a very good heart, otherwise i wouldnt be so fit.

anyways, this discussion is baseless.

 

[gambit]

The MNCs have been complaining for more than 20 years. Yet, they establish R&D centres in this country for research. They are more than welcome to exist or exit and let me assure you, there are more than enough pharma companies in India who can absorb the researchers.

And we are not interested in playing by the rules if it means lives of our countrymen. The pharma companies are here because they derive profit. If this were not the case, the Bayer CEO would not apologise. They know the importance of this market.

Look at the source...

Developed cancer drug for 'western patients' who could afford, not 'for Indians': Bayer's CEO - Times Of India

Global drugmakers say India's powerhouse generics industry and strict patent filtering reduce commercial incentives to produce cutting-edge medicines.

Profits can be made from existing products, not just 'cutting-edge' ones. And when you said this: And we are not interested in playing by the rules if it means lives of our countrymen. you are being intellectually dishonest. The pharma companies are in the business to do two things: fighting diseases and making a profit. If a disease exist, it does not exist and ravage human beings because of something a pharma company does or does not do. You are making the dishonest argument that somehow Bayer is making a profit at the personal expense of Indian bodies and lives.

Companies will leave India if India will continue this kind of behavior. What Bayer's CEO said may be inarticulate or even offensive, but in the end, it does not kill anyone. However, what India did...

The Indian government gave local pharmaceutical house Natco Pharma a licence to produce a copy of Nexavar, used to treat liver and kidney cancer, at a 97% discount to the original selling price of the Bayer product in India.

...Will give other companies, either currently in India contemplating entering India, second thoughts about doing business with India.

 

[amitkriit]

This was your original comment. In which you totally ignore Bayer's concern about its profitability. That is why I raised the question.

I do not care about Bayer's profitability. Not at the expense of Indian lives. Hence no contradiction.

There is nothing wrong in exploiting others for the benefit of our own people. In fact I would like Bayer to invest all it's profit back into the R&D so that it can produce more life saving drugs for us to copy.

 

[damiendehorn]

Well Indian companies don't charge 60K for life-saving drugs, and cosidering Bayer's large portfolio, we still come out on top.

What do you care? Bangladesh gets all of its drugs throug aid anyways

Obviously you don't have a clue about the pharma industries of Bangladesh, we don't get drugs through aid, 97% of the drugs used is made by our own companies. The 3% that is imported is patent protected.

 

[gambit]

Yes if that saves Indian lives. You can call it whatever you want.

It costs from single-digit billion to double-digits billions to develop a drug fighting cancer or genetically origin diseases. So when Dekkers said this...

Developed cancer drug for 'western patients' who could afford, not 'for Indians': Bayer's CEO - Times Of India

"We did not develop this medicine (Nexavar) for Indians," ?Marijn Dekkers said at a little reported pharmaceutical forum last month, according to the January 21st edition of Businessweek.

"We developed it for western patients who can afford it," Dekkers said, and called the Indian regulator's action "essentially theft".

He was not being racially elitist. He meant that because it takes so much money to develop Nexavar, the majority of those who could afford the price of the drug, a price that Bayer must charge in order to recoup the development cost, will come from Western countries who have higher income and more established health care systems.

I am in the semicon manufacturing industry and this is a parallel. My company either built plants or got into joint ventures in lesser developed countries like China and Viet Nam and the vast majority of the products from those plants do not stay in Asia. They are shipped to ANY country that can afford to pay the price we must charge in order to recoup our investment costs.

 

[Kloitra]

@MarkusS
Coming back to topic, how is what India done amounts to theft?