Case Study

Herceptin & Roche in India: The battle for life-saving treatment (A)

9 pages
December 2014
Reference: IMD-7-1634

This case series looks at the actions taken by NGOs, local campaigners and the Indian government, against Roche over its patent for a breast cancer drug “Trastuzumab”, otherwise known as “Herceptin”, Herceptin was an expensive but highly effective treatment for some types of breast cancer and campaigners were vocal in arguing that in emerging markets, such as India, it was beyond the means of the majority of the population. Case A covers the campaign and actions until December 2012. Although Roche reduced the price of Herceptin and entered into an agreement with a local company to produce a generic version at a lower price, the campaign for greater access continued.

Learning Objective

This case series looks to understand how NGOs and local campaigners can affect a company’s ability to market its products or operate in emerging markets.

Keywords
Pharmaceuticals, Global Business, Emerging Market, Intellectual Property Rights, Patent Protection, Non-Governmental Organization, Non-Governmental Organization Campaign, Free Trade Agreement, Oncology, Generic Drug
Settings
Asia, India
Roche, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals
2012
Type
Published Sources
Copyright
© 2014
Available Languages
English
Case clearing houses
IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Discover our latest research
IMD's faculty and research teams publish articles, case studies, books and reports on a wide range of topics