The Supreme Court today asked Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG whether it should not sell its anti-cancer drug for Rs 5 each to benefit common man. A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranajan Prakash Desai posed the query to Novartis AG while hearing its plea seeking affirmation of the exclusivity of its blood cancer drug Glivec and its right to get it patented in India. “Why don’t you sell it for Rs 5? People find it difficult to buy it,” the Bench asked senior counsel Gopal Subramanium as he, appearing for the firm, argued that getting the drug patented would not affect the treatment of the poor.
