Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai hosts conference on public health and pharma patents

Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai, in collaboration with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade IPR Chair and its research centres, the Centre for Applied Research in Public Health Law and the Centre for Research in Intellectual Property, hosted a conference titled “Cure vs. Commerce: Public Health and Pharmaceutical Patents” on 30 March 2026.

The conference addressed the question of balancing the need to reward innovation with ensuring access to medicines.

The event began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp.

Dilip Ukey, Vice-Chancellor of MNLU Mumbai, in his inaugural address, referred to the Sanskrit maxim “Shariram adyam khalu dharma sadhanam” and stated that a healthy body is the foundation of human endeavour. He spoke about the relationship between private rights and public welfare and referred to Article 39 of the Constitution, stating that the State is entrusted with protecting public health. He said that when patent rights conflict with the right to life, the judiciary has a role in restoring balance in favour of social justice.

Delivering the keynote address, O. V. Nandimath, Vice-Chancellor of WBNUJS, referred to the phrase “putting the cart before the horse” and spoke about the prioritisation of commercial gains over public health outcomes. He acknowledged the role of research, development and intellectual property in healthcare and said that commercialisation has affected the autonomy of medical professionals. He described public health as consisting of preventive, promotive and curative aspects and said that the current system focuses on the curative aspect. He referred to compulsory licensing and government intervention and said policymaking should be guided by rationality.

C. Vivekanandan, Vice-Chancellor of HNLU, spoke on the relationship between law and ethics. He said the discussion should focus on how public health and commerce can coexist without affecting human dignity. He stated that medicines are linked to life and referred to the concept of development as freedom. He cited vaccine access during the COVID-19 pandemic and referred to the views of Mahatma Gandhi on resource distribution.

The panel discussion was moderated by Amit Kumar of MNLU Mumbai. Gopakumar G. Nair spoke on maintaining India’s position on intellectual property. Samir Kulkarni spoke on the cost and process of drug development and referred to transparency in research spending. M. S. Kamath raised the issue of pricing of medicines and its impact on patients. Uma Bhattad referred to global frameworks such as TRIPS and the use of compulsory licensing. Jagdish W. Khobragade spoke on India’s position in pharmaceutical manufacturing and the need to engage with international frameworks.

The conference concluded with paper presentations judged by Ragini Khubalkar, Sajid Sheikh and Aamir Khan, followed by a prize distribution ceremony.