The success of activists in forcing GlaxoSmithKline to withdraw the patent application for its HIV/AIDS drug combivir in India is now spurring on others. Cancer patients and non-government organisations have decided to rally against Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, which has filed a case in Madras high court, asking that it be granted a patent for the crucial cancer drug, Gleevec... The drug helps in prolonging the life of cancer patients. Several Indian pharma firms like Natco, Cipla, Ranbaxy and Hetero produce the generic equivalent..."India, which is turning out to be a beacon of hope for nations like Korea in its supply of generic medicines, is having to fight a battle on its own turf," an official [from] Médecins Sans Frontières said.