India, Feb. 18 -- When the Indian Patent Office rejected multinational conglomerate (MNC) AbbVie's patent application for its cancer drug Venetoclax in late January, there was customary cheerleading that follows such decisions. Drug companies here were happy because their patent opposition, filed over a seven-year period from 2018, had finally been upheld and allowed them to launch generic versions of the blockbuster medicine right away instead of waiting for several years more in case the patent was granted. Patients were naturally delighted since the drug would be available for less than 20 per cent of the price. So were public health campaigners fighting for access to more affordable medicines. All to the good it would seem, but for on...