Government is overhauling its policy on intellectual property to ensure the production of cheaper medicines in the country.
Cabinet approved the first phase of the Intellectual Property Policy last week.
At a media briefing held jointly with his Trade and Industry counterpart Rob Davies on Thursday, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the country wanted to discourage the practice of ‘ever-greening’ by international pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Motsoaledi says: “Ever-greening means you just change one molecule and apply for a patent as a new drug and you are given a new patent. Meaning the 20 years will never come to an end. We will be able to go to the company and say there’s no substantive change to this drug. You are cheating.”
“Then that patent falls off and generics will start flowing,” adds Motsoaledi.
