he consent of the company that invented the drug. Several Western pharmaceutical giants say India's 2005 Patent Act fails to guarantee the rights of investors who finance drug research and development. Bayer said the patent panel's order weakens the international patent system and endangers pharmaceutical research. "The limited period of marketing exclusivity made possible by patents ensures that the costs associated with the research and development of innovative medicines can be recovered," the company said. Meanwhile, Swiss drug maker Novartis AG is awaiting a decision by India's Supreme Court on the rejection of patents for its cancer drug Gleevec,http://www.sufc.co.za/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2076224&PID=2406184#2406184. That case revolves around a different legal provision allowing India to block "evergreening" extensions of patents based on minor changes to existing treatments. The Supreme Court's ruling on the case is expected soon. Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The definitive guide to U.S. hospitals, featuring extensive rankings,http://0411game.com/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1864653, the latest on autism and pain management, and much more,http://bbs.lankouhunsha.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=551703.[标签:标题]
By HEIDI VOGT and RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) An Afghan tribunal sentenced two top executives to five years in prison Tuesday for misappropriating hundreds of millions of dollars from the nation's largest bank in a scandal that caused it to fail and threatened the country's fragile economy. Observers called the sentences remarkably light given the crime, raising questions once again about the Afghan government's commitment to rooting out corruption. The Kabul Bank's collapse and subsequent bailout represented more than 5 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product, making it one of the largest banking failures in the world in relative terms. The scandal has become a test case for President Hamid Karzai's pledge to clean up the notoriously corrupt government. Karzai has been regularly accused of prosecuting low-level graft while ignoring massive thievery on the part of friends or powerful allies. A report in November by the Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee said political interference has stymied much of the Kabul Bank investigation. The Afghan government is almost entirely funded by foreign donors, many of whom have threatened to pull or curtail financing if they do not see proof that Karzai's administration is ensuring that the money reaches Afghan citizens as intended. Judge Shams-ul-Rahman Shams said the bank's former chairman Sherkhan Farnood and former chief executive officer Khalilullah Ferozi were guilty of misappropriating $278 million and $530 million, respectively,discount toms shoes. Farnood and Ferozi were also ordered to pay back these funds. At the hearing, Farnood said he became the scapegoat for the real culprits at the bank,toms shoes sale. Ferozi spoke more gently, saying he did not accuse anyone but felt there needed to be a fuller accounting of the money,cheap toms. He swore to pay back any funds he was shown to have stolen. The two were among