Improving equitable access for effective antibacterial: an ecosystem approach.

Background: Antibiotics are indispensable to modern healthcare, yet their equitable access remains a pressing global challenge. Factors contributing to inequities include insufficient evidence for optimal clinical use, limited registration, pricing for Reserve antibiotics, and supply chain challenges. These issues disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, exacerbating antimicrobial resistance burdens.

Patent dispute: Delhi High Court gives a boost to access to affordable medicines.

The Delhi High Court has rejected the petition filed by Bayer Corporation seeking to stop the Drugs Controller of India (DCGI) from registering a generic version of a patented cancer drug. The case was filed in 2008 by Bayer to try and introduce "patent linkage" which involves linking the registration (marketing approval) of drugs with their patent status. If Bayer's plea for "patent linkage" had been accepted by the court, it would have undermined public health safeguards contained in India's patent legislation.