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by meric 3957 days ago
I thought any lab could do that. Isn't the research part the most difficult and expensive part?

"The Pharmaceutical industry in India is the world's third-largest in terms of volume and stands 14th in terms of value."

"Indian companies carved a niche in both the Indian and world markets with their expertise in reverse-engineering new processes for manufacturing drugs at low costs."[2]

There is skill involved in reverse-engineering new processes for manufacturing drugs.

Does it happen with essential life saving medicine?

Yes.

"...Glivec, a medicine for chronic myeloid leukemia"[1]

"The Supreme Court defended India’s right to deny patents to incremental improvements. It ruled that Glivec was merely a new form of an older drug and did not constitute a patentable invention. “This is a huge relief,” said Unni Karunakara, the president of Médecins Sans Frontières, which cares for patients in poor countries. Novartis is less pleased, declaring that the ruling “discourages future innovation in India."

Did you previously think pharmaceutical companies care about people's lives more than profit? I'm sorry to disappoint.

[1] http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?client=safari&r...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_industry_in_Ind...