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Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting a patent challenge filed in India this week by two tuberculosis survivors, to prevent pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson (J&J) from extending its monopoly on the tuberculosis drug bedaquiline.

MSF welcomes new WHO treatment guidelines that recommend drug-resistant tuberculosis be treated with oral drugs only, including newer, more potent drugs with fewer side effects, such as bedaquiline.

The appeal – filed by six organisations – states that the EPO should revoke Gilead’s patent on key hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir because it does not meet the requirements to be a patentable invention from a legal or scientific perspective.

MSF criticises pharma for dragging feet on developing HIV drugs for children.

As ministers and leaders from member countries gather in Singapore this week, Japan and South Korea continue to push India and the ten member states of ASEAN to agree to IP provisions that undermine generic competition.

MSF calls on Global Fund Board to make urgent changes to prevent drug stock-outs and quality issues.

Groups pointed to the significant taxpayer money that J&J has received for the development and introduction of bedaquiline, and the need for these public investments to be reflected in the price of the drug.

We call on US pharma corporation Johnson & Johnson to cut key TB drug price in half