A court rejected on Monday a challenge by Novartis to Indian law that denies patents for minor improvements to known drugs, and the Swiss drug giant said it was unlikely to appeal...The court in Chennai rejected the challenge, saying it had no jurisdiction on whether Indian patent laws complied with intellectual property rules set by the World Trade Organisation, as Novartis had questioned. "We disagree with this ruling, however we likely will not appeal to the Supreme Court," a Novartis spokeswoman said by phone from Basel, in Switzerland. "We await the full decision to better understand the court's position."...Novartis says the Indian patent system stifles innovation. Critics of Novartis say changes to the law would affect the supply of affordable anti-AIDS drugs from India, one of the biggest makers of generic drugs.