Government Urged to Invoke Section 100 of the Patents Act for Rare Disease Drug Accessibility

In a letter dated 20 December 2024, Rajya Sabha MP Haris Beeran urged the Union Health Minister to invoke Section 100(1) of the Patents Act to enable domestic production of Risdiplam, a vital drug for treating Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). This rare genetic disorder, which affects voluntary muscle movement, impacts approximately one in 10,000 newborns in India.