MUMBAI, May 4, 2026, 19:35 (IST)
Glaxo Group Limited, under the GSK Group umbrella, secured a Bombay High Court decision this day requiring Shreya Life Sciences Private Limited to cancel its registration of the Paxil trademark in India—a notable brand victory for GSK plc and its popular medicine. The dispute focused on Shreya’s lack of use of the mark in actual pharmaceutical products.
The court’s decision lands at a time when GSK faces scrutiny over whether new CEO Luke Miels can defend sales, speed up drug development, and handle looming patent cliffs. Shares dropped last week despite a first-quarter beat—traders picked over the numbers and flagged issues beneath the surface. “Quality concerns around the earnings beat,” Verso Investment Management analyst James Eugene noted, pointing to non-recurring items muddying the result. Reuters
In India, the dispute centered on Section 47 of the Trade Marks Act, which lets authorities strike off a registered mark if it’s been left idle for a significant period. Lawyers for GSK claimed Shreya secured the Paxil trademark more than twenty years ago but hadn’t put it to use for any pharmaceutical or medicinal products.
Justice Arif S. Doctor determined Shreya hadn’t used the mark since registering it in 2005, tossing out claims that business expansion excused the lapse. The court made it clear: a trademark is “meant to be used and not hoarded or traded.” That line casts a wider net, signaling trouble for drug-name registrations left dormant. Indian Kanoon
Shreya pointed to a lineage going back to Rallis India in 1973, contending GSK’s objection was filed too late. The court disagreed, finding Shreya’s post-2005 non-use after registration to be decisive.
Still, GSK plc’s earnings outlook isn’t expected to budge much on this decision alone. The group’s U.S.-listed ADRs slipped 1.2% to $51.01 early in New York, as investors kept their attention on vaccines, HIV, oncology and pipeline developments—not one trademark ruling out of India.
GSK last week posted first-quarter revenue of 7.63 billion pounds, a 5% gain at constant exchange rates. Specialty Medicines climbed 14%. HIV drugs saw a 10% rise. Sales of Shingrix, the company’s shingles vaccine, jumped 20%. Arexvy, its RSV shot for seniors, slipped 18%.
Miels described the quarter as a “strong start to 2026,” adding that GSK remains intent on “accelerating R&D”—that is, research and development. The drugmaker left its 2026 guidance unchanged, still aiming for sales topping 40 billion pounds by 2031. GSK
Competition is intensifying. According to Reuters, big pharma players are ramping up acquisitions as patent cliffs approach, with companies like Pfizer and Gilead bracing for exclusivity to expire on key products. GSK and Novo Nordisk, both recently under new leadership, have also started to pursue bolder deals.
GSK is shifting its focus further into oncology, putting the spotlight on its B7-H4-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, mocertatug rezetecan. The company plans to kick off five pivotal phase III trials for the drug this year. Hesham Abdullah, who leads global oncology R&D at GSK, called the clinical profile “compelling” and “promising.” GSK
GSK plc just cleared a hurdle with the Paxil decision, removing a legal snag from its path in the crowded pharmaceuticals space. But the bigger challenge is still on the table: showing that its pipeline, business deals, and established products can sustain growth, especially after investors have made it clear they’re quick to react when earnings seem overly tied to near-term boosts.
