India rejects patent bid for six-month drug-resistant TB regimen BPaL

The Indian Patent Office has rejected the US-based TB Alliance's patent application for BPaL, a WHO-recommended six-month, all-oral regimen combining bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Patient groups including the Delhi Network of Positive People welcomed the decision, which followed two pre-grant oppositions filed in 2020 arguing the combination had already been disclosed.