Indian Patent Office Rejects TB Alliance Patent Application for BPaL Regimen

The Indian Patent Office rejected a patent application filed by the U.S.-based TB Alliance for the BPaL drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment combination.

Civil society groups and opponents successfully challenged the application under Sections 3(d), 3(e), and 3(i) of India's Patents Act, citing prior disclosures from 2015.

WHO recommends the six-month, all-oral BPaL regimen for eligible drug-resistant tuberculosis patients, helping reduce the massive disease burden in India.