TWN Info Service on Health Issues (May26/04)
18 May 2026
Third World Network

For immediate release

Indian Patent Office Refuses Abbvie’s Patent Application on Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir - A Significant Public Health Victory

New Delhi, 18 May 2026 – The Third World Network welcomes the decision of the Indian Patent Office refusing the grant of a patent to US pharmaceutical giant AbbVie Inc. on the Hepatitis C treatment combination glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (sold under the brand name MavyretTM/MaviretTM).  

The order, dated 7 May 2026, refused the patent application under Section 15 of the Patents Act. The order records that AbbVie did not file reply statements or evidence in response to the pre-grant oppositions, and later informed the patent office that it wished to abandon the application.  

This decision is significant as refusal of the patent application means that AbbVie has not been able to obtain secondary patent for the composition of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, which if granted would have extended AbbVie’s patent monopoly by 5 years. 

Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is an important hepatitis C treatment and affordable generic competition remains essential for expanding treatment access. The order once again demonstrates the importance of India’s patent safeguards, including pre-grant opposition, in preventing unnecessary patent monopolies that can delay access to medicines.

What makes this decision even more critical is in the context of AbbVie’s own voluntary licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). India was excluded as a sales territory from the MPP license. While the MPP license allowed generic supply to a defined set of countries, India was treated as a “manufacturing only” country, preventing Indian patients from automatically benefitting from the license. This exclusion was widely criticized because while India plays a crucial role as a global supplier of affordable generics medicines, including hepatitis C treatment, India also needs affordable supply as it has significant hepatitis C burden. 

TWN commends the role of civil society and patient groups, including the Delhi Network of Positive People and Low-Cost Standard Therapeutics (whom TWN provided technical support) whose pre-grant oppositions helped safeguard public interest. This decision is a powerful reminder that rigorous patent scrutiny and public-health safeguards, such as India’s opposition system, are not merely technical formalities; they are essential lifesaving public-health tools.