According to the news reported by ET, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed the concerned parties to respond to Natco’s petition. Natco has contended that granting a second patent for ribociclib would effectively allow Novartis and Astex to extend their exclusive rights over the molecule beyond the expiry of the earlier patent. Natco had previously opposed the grant of the patent application before the patent authorities. Natco argued that the second patent lacked an inventive step because ribociclib had already been covered by Novartis and Astex in an earlier genus patent application having an earlier priority date. Natco maintained that granting another patent for the same molecule amounted to an impermissible extension of patent protection.