Newsclick discusses with Satyajit Rath from the National Institute of Immunology the issue of Gene Patenting, in the background of Angelina Jolie’s mastectomy. The patenting of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes by Myriad Genetics is a classic case of a discovery permitted to be patented. Rath says allowing a company to own genetic information, is under no circumstances healthy. The Myriad Genetics patents restrict public interests unreasonably. The patents effectively mean privatising the results of public funded research.

The last fifty years is witness to a virtual explosion in the creation of new knowledge. Capitalism has used this characteristic of modern science and technology to constantly create products and tools to constantly revolutionize the productive forces.

The Government of aam admi is poised to act once again in the interests of big business and against the interests of a vast majority of the people in this country.

The Government has recently made public the “Draft National Pricing Pharmaceutical Policy, 2011”