No TB drug lawsuits, J&J promises

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

No TB drug lawsuits, J&J promises

Markham, Ontario, Canada - May 21, 2018: Johnson & Johnson Medical Products company in Markham, Ontario, a division of  Johnson & Johnson Inc.

Johnson & Johnson won’t enforce patents for bedaquiline after months of public scrutiny and new licences for generics

Activists have hailed a “sea change” in the treatment of tuberculosis after Johnson & Johnson agreed not to enforce patents covering bedaquiline on Friday, September 29.

J&J said the decision was intended to reassure generics makers that they could market cheaper versions of bedaquiline, a TB drug, in 134 low- and middle-income countries.

In July, the company granted licences for the drug to the UN-backed Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility.

J&J has faced significant pressure from activists and civil society groups this year over its patent portfolio on bedaquiline.

Bestselling author John Green was among those to lend his voice to a campaign calling on J&J to halt its efforts to secure additional patents on bedaquiline, with the core intellectual property rights set to expire this year.

In March, India’s IP office refused J&J’s application for a secondary patent on bedaquiline after a challenge brought by two TB survivors.

Last month, meanwhile, South Africa’s Competition Commission launched an investigation after it emerged the country wouldn’t benefit from lower prices for the drug worldwide.

Prices for bedaquiline fell sharply after July’s deal with the Global Drug Facility.

J&J now charges most lower-income countries a headline price of $130 for a six-month course of the drug, but South Africa will continue to pay the old figure of $289.

A J&J spokesperson said the company would cooperate fully with the investigation.

Christophe Perrin, TB advocacy pharmacist at Médecins Sans Frontières’s Access Campaign, said the decision announced on Friday, September 29, was “testament to the persistent efforts of TB activists, civil society, and also countries prioritising public health over corporations' interests”.

Perrin called on Japanese drugmaker Otsuka, which owns patents for the drug delamanid, to match J&J’s pledge not to enforce its IP.

Delamanid is often used in combination with bedaquiline to treat multidrug-resistant TB.

“We need all newer TB innovations to be as affordable as absolutely possible, so governments can scale up prevention, testing and treatment to beat back this curable disease that continues to kill 1.6 million people every year.

“People with TB literally cannot afford to wait any longer,” Perrin said.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Managing IP considers some of the key themes from the 2025 Annual Meeting and offers some tips for London 2026
A comparison of the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Managing IP EMEA Awards reveals the firms and companies that have been dominating Europe’s IP market year after year
Tuesday's coverage includes BD tips for aspiring partners, and a foray into the world of SEPs
Exclusive data reveals law firms are failing to go above and beyond for their corporate clients, with in-house counsel saying advisers should consider more transparent billing processes
Arty Rajendra and Gary Moss discuss why ‘thorough and intense’ preparation, plus the odd glass of wine, led to a record FRAND victory for their client
Monday’s coverage includes news of a potentially 'game-changing' trademark development in China and how practitioners are using AI
Managing IP gives a taster of the numbers behind this year’s IP STARS trademark rankings, and looks back at our 2025 award winners
Updates from IP offices, the shifting requirements of in-house counsel, and news of London 2026 were among major talking points on Sunday
Etienne Sanz de Acedo discusses the association’s three-year plan, what he is looking forward to in San Diego, and why London came calling for 2026
Professionals from three organisations reveal what led them to sponsor Brand Action and why doing so can build camaraderie
Gift this article