Patent war: patients vs profit?

Angry reactions are coming from the US Chamber of Commerce and representatives of international pharmaceutical firms predicting a dip in investment after a Supreme Court judgement which said no to Novartis getting a patent for a modified version of its anti-leukemia drug Glivec. The judgement will have huge implications for other drugs made by companies who have challenged India's tough anti-patent laws. But from doctors to the larger aid community and health activists, most importantly from patients, the response has been overwhelming. This judgement, they say, is literally the difference between life and death for them.