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"Cheaper medicines"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(30/01/07)
Thailand approves generic drugs despite corporate displeasure
BANGKOK: Thailand's health ministry said yesterday that it had approved
generic versions of the anti-AIDS drug Kaletra and the blockbuster heart
drug Plavix, despite outrage among pharmaceutical companies.
“We have already issued compulsory licences for two drugs, Plavix and
Kaletra, in order to make the price more affordable in Thailand. Right now,
the price of these two drugs is very high,” a health ministry spokesman
said.
The announcement follows Thailand's decision in November to allow generic
versions of pharmaceutical giant Merck's high-priced HIV/AIDS drug Efavirenz.
But the decision to break the patent for Plavix – sold by French-based
Sanofi-Aventis and its US partner, Bristol Myers-Squibb – marks a departure
from a global trend of trying to lower prices on AIDS drugs.
Plavix, a blood-thinning treatment to prevent heart attacks, is believed to
be the second-largest-selling medication sold worldwide with global sales of
US$5.9bil (RM20.67bil) in 2005.
A Canadian company briefly introduced a generic version last year before
getting pulled from shelves due to court challenges over the patent's
validity.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) praised the government's decision, saying the
generic drugs would make treatment more widely available by lowering prices.
The cost of Plavix is expected to drop from 120 baht (RM12.30) per pill to
only six to 12 baht (62 sen to RM1.23) per pill.
Treatment with Kaletra currently costs 11,580 baht (RM1,188) per month, and
could drop to 4,000 baht (RM409.79) per month, the group said.
“The Thai government has been trying to balance drug patents with lowering
high prices of drugs. This could be a standard followed by other developing
countries where the same problem is faced,” said Kannikar Kijtiwatchakul, an
MSF campaigner in Thailand.
“The compulsory licensing or government use for this case complies both with
the Thai and international law. It will help government cut the cost of AIDS
drugs by as much as 90%,” she said.
But pharmaceutical companies lashed out at the decision, warning they would
have to reconsider their investments in Thailand.
“They are concerned about continuing to invest in a country where the
government cannot provide a basic guarantee for the safety of their assets,”
the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers' Association said.
Thailand's universal HIV/AIDS treatment programme has been hailed as a
success in the fight against the disease, largely because of the country's
ability to provide anti-retroviral drugs to patients.
In 2002, the Thai government launched a generic version of HIV/AIDS triple
therapy and was able to cut the cost of treatment 18-fold. — AFP
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