GlaxosmithKline (GSK) has withdrawn the patent applications of two anti-AIDS medicines in India, reports Economic Times.

It is believed that the company formally withdrew the application of Abacavir, however, the other drug of the company, namely, Trizivir, is believed to be withdrawn after it made a request of not examining its case to the patent office. The company had filed the patent application in the Kolkata patent office last year.

A second-line anti-retroviral (ARV) drug, Abacavir, is used to treat patients who have developed resistance to first-line medications. Trizivir is a blend of three ARV drugs, which are used for first and second-line treatments. These drugs are however included in the list of drugs that the Centre and WHO recommend for HIV treatment.

Companies like Cipla, Ranbaxy and Hetero, etc, are already marketing one or both these drugs in the country. However, if GSK had received the patent, these companies would have had to pay a royalty to the company. As a result, this would increase the cost of HIV treatment.

It is believed that the company`s drugs were salt forms of the existing drugs and it considered to be cautious to pull out the application rather than being rejected. The company felt that a rejection could diminish its chances of getting patent in other developing countries.