Thailand Stuns Drug Firms With Generic Licenses

[Prakanong]

Yeah - if your manufacturing standards and practices are <deleted> plus you use second rate ingredients they may well do more harm than good as they may not have the efficacy of the real thing.

Even coatings on drugs can increase or decrease efficacy in certain cases.

Not all generics are created equal!

[Chris Lawrence]

What is it about Aids that it can be regarded as a "public health emergency" that can't be applied to heart disease? Is it the number of cases? The impact on family structure? The impediment on life style after diagnosis? The mortality rate?

Why is Aids considered a "true emergency"?

It kills younger people. This also costs the community more.

The World Health Organisation’s latest antiretroviral treatment guidelines for resource-poor settings released at the Toronto Conference recommend newer generation ARVs for both first- and second-line therapy. Because of patent issues, many of these drugs are not available from generic manufacturers. As a result, originator companies are able to charge prohibitively high prices and are often slow to make the drugs available in developing countries.

“We applaud the fact that WHO has expanded the drug formulary to include newer drugs into their guidelines. However, no mechanism exists to make those drugs available at a country level.” said Dr Alexandra Calmy of MSF’s Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. “It is the responsibility of WHO to encourage governments to use the flexibilities in the WTO TRIPS Agreement, including issuing compulsory licenses to access generic drugs. Other actors, including the Global Fund and UNAIDS must also get serious about the fact that we’re facing a potentially major crisis unless they act now to bring down the cost of treatment.”

Generic competition has been a major engine driving down the price of first line drugs from over $US 10,000 per patient per year to under $US 140. Today, 50% of people in the developing world on ARVs rely on generic medicines from India. However, now that countries like India have to grant patents on medicines, sources of generic medicines are at risk of drying up.

Ensuring affordability of newer medicines is the only way to ensure long-term quality care for people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world. “I would not be alive today if I could not access second-line medicines,” says Ibrahim Umoru, a peer educator working for MSF in Lagos, Nigeria, who had to switch treatment in 2006 after having developed resistance to first-line. “I am in the very lucky minority. Most patients whose lives had been saved by first-line treatment will be abandoned the moment they need second-line drugs unless governments pull their heads out of the sand and start tackling this issue.”

WHO sticks head in sand over high cost of newer AIDS drugs - Must act to ensure long-term quality care for people with HIV/AIDS-Taken from press release: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Doctors Without Boarders.

Maybe the Thai Government is taking the bull by the horns?

[nick2k]

I really am happy that thailand did what they did. do you know why? I'll tell you why. these drug companies took their operations off shore to other countries because they wanted to save money. in the process, they screwed a lot of people back in the western world laying people off by the 10s of thousands if not millions. yes, this is justice.

you see, many of the drugs invented by western countries were invented by people in those countries. the drug companies didn't give a sh#t when they tossed them out after they worked so hard to invent what they invented.

now, maybe they have learned a lesson to not leave their own countries to save money. now that they know in the long run they will not.

I can't wait until other countries like china do the same to western countries.

on another train of thought, since thailand doesn't respect the patents of other countries. ..why then, should other countries respect the patents of thailand.?

jasmine rice is so overrated. america could invent a better product very easily. but being so nice, they didn't bother. maybe they have learned their lesson now.

someday, I hope all the jobs return to the usa. that is where they should be. benefiting the people who were born there.

yes, the companies are starting to learn.

[Prakanong]

Nick2K

Do you know anything at all about the pharma industry except for the medication you take?

Took their ops off shore????

Most of the R&D is still done in the USA and Western Europe including the UK - it is this imbalance that need re-dressing my friend - you think we have the monopoly on excellent researchers???

You think those excellent scientists in say China and India should all have to relocate to the USA and Europe to work?

I see these people at work all over the region every day and I can tell you from experience - on quality and work rate they slaughter the USA set up in their equivalent - it will come in research too in the not too distant future

Yes we have sites in India and are looking to China as well as having large sites in Singapore - nothing was moved offshore. Its there because of the quality of the workers plus pharma is a worldwide business and these markets are growing massively.

You honestly do not know what you are talking about here - your little America rant is quite amusing if not so sad in a way.

[Digger]

To add a bit of counter balance from Business Week this week

"GlaxoSmithKline: Getting AIDS Drugs To More Sick People

When Jean-Pierre Garnier took over as CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) seven years ago, the company's reputation on corporate social responsibility was at its nadir. As part of a coalition of 39 pharmaceutical companies, the drugmaker was suing Nelson Mandela's South African government for voiding patents on prescription drugs. Mandela's top priority was giving desperately sick patients access to HIV treatments, and GSK—the world's largest supplier—was standing in the way. "It was a public relations disaster," Garnier concedes.

The experience convinced Garnier that GSK should lead the crusade to improve access to medicine. In 2001, GSK became the first major drugmaker to sell its AIDS medicines at cost in 100 countries worldwide. And it has granted eight licenses to local companies to produce generic versions of these medicines.

In fact, GSK sells 90% of its vaccines, in volume terms, at not-for-profit prices to customers in the developing world. In 2005, it set a new paradigm in the vaccine industry. It chose Mexico over other, wealthier nations as the launch pad for Rotarix, a new vaccine against gastrointestinal rotavirus. "We wanted to get the vaccine to the children who needed it most," Garnier explains.

Creating medicines for the Third World while still posting a profit required fancy financial footwork. GSK has formed 14 different partnerships with the World Health Organization and other nongovernmental bodies, and with philanthropies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These programs provided funding for research on two different HIV vaccines, new treatments for tuberculosis, and a pediatric vaccine against malaria. In the latter case, a collaboration with the Gates Foundation and a group called the Malaria Vaccine Initiative led to a vaccine that provides a minimum of 18 months of protection against malaria. It could be on the market within four years. "The commitment [of GSK] to developing a malaria vaccine is outstanding," says Dr. Tore Godal, the former head of the Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunization (GAVI).

Garnier says efforts such as these give the company several advantages over its rivals. Top scientists are drawn to GSK because they want their research to make a difference. Doing good, and being admired for it, also boosts general morale at the company, he says. "This creates a more aligned and engaged workforce, which helps us outperform our competitors."

Thats all well and good - except Thailand is not one of the 100 poorest countries !!!!! GSK has a policy to help Thailand and does sell medicines at lower costs than in the West, but they certainly are not anywhere near free.

All this about Kaletra is a bit misleading - little attention seems to be focused on why the levels of resistance are so high in GPO-VIR. A pure guess on my part would be that it has a lot to do with the same reasons that with the exception of Nevarapine, the other components of the medicine have long since been dumped (like must be 5+ years ago) by the west for exactly the same problems. The ingrediants themselves that go to make GPO -VIR are basically second rate. GPO has been trying, but with limited success to mimic GSK's medicine Combivir that combines AZT and Laminvudine (3TC). If that had been combined with Nevarapine (but not as a single tablet - they cant be combined in one pill for some reason) - There would probably have not been such an urgent rush to grab Kaletra. Kaletra is a different class of drug and its not the answer to this issue - Expect another announcement sometime within the next 3 years when that comes to light.

[mesohappy314]

Nick2K

Do you know anything at all about the pharma industry except for the medication you take?

Took their ops off shore????

Most of the R&D is still done in the USA and Western Europe including the UK - it is this imbalance that need re-dressing my friend - you think we have the monopoly on excellent researchers???

You think those excellent scientists in say China and India should all have to relocate to the USA and Europe to work?

I see these people at work all over the region every day and I can tell you from experience - on quality and work rate they slaughter the USA set up in their equivalent - it will come in research too in the not too distant future

Yes we have sites in India and are looking to China as well as having large sites in Singapore - nothing was moved offshore. Its there because of the quality of the workers plus pharma is a worldwide business and these markets are growing massively.

You honestly do not know what you are talking about here - your little America rant is quite amusing if not so sad in a way.

Have to agree with Nick here. The R&D groups in other countries are well beneath the standards of the west. Creativity is the key. Asian education doesn't promote any.

Those who can hang move along to western companies. Better pay. You're right, they don't have to. But the incentive is there. It's called the brain-drain.

Speaking from experience.

[Jai Dee]

MOPH affirms no negotiations with drug companies regarding drug patents

The Minister of Public Health affirms that no negotiations were necessary with drug patent holding companies as originally proposed by the Minister of Commerce.

Minister of Public Health MD Mongkol na Songkla commented on the incident in which Minister of Commerce Krergkrai Jeerapat (เกริกไกร จิระแพทย์) proposed that the public sector conduct negotiations with drug companies before establishing drug patents in order to foster good relations. MD Mongkol said he had discussed the matter with Mr. Krergkrai and has come to the conclusion that no negotiations with drug companies were required due to firmly established laws in the matter. Many drug companies are reportedly unable to file for drug patents for their products.

The Minister of Public Health added that in a recent Cabinet meeting Prime Minister Surayud Chulanon did not inquire into the matter but had given instructions for final reports to be submitted to his office so that he may answer questions by foreign diplomats and media.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 31 January 2007

[John K]

The more I look at this and the more I think about it I see this as a bit of a paradox. The cost of the drugs is high no doubt, however the Thai government would have plenty of money to pay for it if there was no corruption. Going by the published numbers every person in Thailand loses out on between 5,000 and 10,000 ThB annually because of corruption.

Based on that I see it as robbing Peter to pay Paul. Not that I have fondness for the billions of dollars drug companies make, but in this case it sounds like a bit of a raw deal for them because of corruption in another country.

[sriracha john]

What is it about Aids that it can be regarded as a "public health emergency" that can't be applied to heart disease? Is it the number of cases? The impact on family structure? The impediment on life style after diagnosis? The mortality rate?

Why is Aids considered a "true emergency"?

It kills younger people. This also costs the community more.

The World Health Organisation's latest antiretroviral treatment guidelines for resource-poor settings released at the Toronto Conference recommend newer generation ARVs for both first- and second-line therapy. Because of patent issues, many of these drugs are not available from generic manufacturers. As a result, originator companies are able to charge prohibitively high prices and are often slow to make the drugs available in developing countries.

“We applaud the fact that WHO has expanded the drug formulary to include newer drugs into their guidelines. However, no mechanism exists to make those drugs available at a country level.” said Dr Alexandra Calmy of MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. “It is the responsibility of WHO to encourage governments to use the flexibilities in the WTO TRIPS Agreement, including issuing compulsory licenses to access generic drugs. Other actors, including the Global Fund and UNAIDS must also get serious about the fact that we’re facing a potentially major crisis unless they act now to bring down the cost of treatment.”

Generic competition has been a major engine driving down the price of first line drugs from over $US 10,000 per patient per year to under $US 140. Today, 50% of people in the developing world on ARVs rely on generic medicines from India. However, now that countries like India have to grant patents on medicines, sources of generic medicines are at risk of drying up.

Ensuring affordability of newer medicines is the only way to ensure long-term quality care for people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world. “I would not be alive today if I could not access second-line medicines,” says Ibrahim Umoru, a peer educator working for MSF in Lagos, Nigeria, who had to switch treatment in 2006 after having developed resistance to first-line. “I am in the very lucky minority. Most patients whose lives had been saved by first-line treatment will be abandoned the moment they need second-line drugs unless governments pull their heads out of the sand and start tackling this issue.”

WHO sticks head in sand over high cost of newer AIDS drugs - Must act to ensure long-term quality care for people with HIV/AIDS-Taken from press release: Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Boarders.

Maybe the Thai Government is taking the bull by the horns?

Indeed, they are.

It's also good that you mention Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Borders. I support their recommendations to the WTO:

- Cover all medically essential drugs, not only those for relatively high-profile diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, or tuberculosis

Disease discrimination is something I don't support.

A life-sustaining medication is a life-sustaining medication.

Edited January 31, 2007 by sriracha john

[Prakanong]

Nick2K

Do you know anything at all about the pharma industry except for the medication you take?

Took their ops off shore????

Most of the R&D is still done in the USA and Western Europe including the UK - it is this imbalance that need re-dressing my friend - you think we have the monopoly on excellent researchers???

You think those excellent scientists in say China and India should all have to relocate to the USA and Europe to work?

I see these people at work all over the region every day and I can tell you from experience - on quality and work rate they slaughter the USA set up in their equivalent - it will come in research too in the not too distant future

Yes we have sites in India and are looking to China as well as having large sites in Singapore - nothing was moved offshore. Its there because of the quality of the workers plus pharma is a worldwide business and these markets are growing massively.

You honestly do not know what you are talking about here - your little America rant is quite amusing if not so sad in a way.

Have to agree with Nick here. The R&D groups in other countries are well beneath the standards of the west. Creativity is the key. Asian education doesn't promote any.

Those who can hang move along to western companies. Better pay. You're right, they don't have to. But the incentive is there. It's called the brain-drain.

Speaking from experience.

I am speaking from current experience -are you?

Who says they are not working for western company's - I know I am alongside them.

The fact is my argument stands -and Nicks does not. I said most R&D is still done in the west - there are research places opening up by western company's in the likes of India and China (and eastern) though

Oh - and of course a lot of clinical trials move to where its cheaper to do them like the Asia and eastern europe - to expensive in western Europe and America

PS: think you are greatly under-estimating the education some of these people have. - i bet you said that about their computer guys 15 years ago before all the white collar jobs flew the nest!!!

Edited January 31, 2007 by Prakanong

[ColPyat]

The discussion has now reached a point where i am completely out of my depth.

But keep it up please, i follow it with high interest.

[Prakanong]

The discussion has now reached a point where i am completely out of my depth.

But keep it up please, i follow it with high interest.

Some people regurgitate Fox News without being or knowing the industry - armachair pundits

They can sing all they like about Asians and their education while all the time they are slipping past them up the ladder.

I have worked all over the world and I know now who i see as the most dedicated and (I do not know the word to use) clever people I work with. Like I said last night to my pal a consukltant neuro-radiologist - "Working with these people brings your own game up" - He totally agreed

[TimTang]

i have to agree with the junta on this one, if it costs a thai person $330 a month to buy these drugs which is more than a lot of Thais even earn, plus depending on their illness they might not even be capable of working, and if taking these drugs or not is a matter of life and death or even prolonging someones life and giving them a better life then go ahead. the drug companies are some of the greediest b@stards in the world, while i understand they need a lot of money for R&D they still make staggering profits, there is no need for them to charge the prices they do to countries in Asia/Africa where only the rich and not the average person can afford these life saving drugs. especially if a generic version of the drug can be produced for 10% of the cost, a big difference paying $330 a month as to $33 a month. I think the first thing they've done i agree with.

BB

Boo Hoo. It is because of the stealing of patents that there is so little innovation in the world. Do you really think they are going to spend money on researching cures for AIDS when every Tom Dick and Harry can just simply declare an emergency and copy which ever drugs they want for free? What would encourage ANY company to spend billions on R&D when someone will just come along and copy it for free. Why bother in the first place?

All fine and well he says that drugs companies are greedy, yet it is those same companies that our pensions and retirement plans invest in. They turn a profit, we get better retirement benefits. Who is greedy, the companies or us?

THESE illnesses that we are talking about is not the Bird Flu, Ebola or the West Nile virus, they are PREVENTABLE. The WHO clause is being read like most people read the bible. They interpret it the way it suits their needs or desires. The clause was originally for national emergencies for diseases that were not only contagious but also beyond control in terms of spread. The clause was to prevent mass contamination. Heart disease in Asia, maybe they should encourage people to eat healthy and not stick hamburgers in their faces at every opportunity. Was it not Thailand that spoke last year about the state of children's diets that are making them obese? Has the use of condoms not been advocated in Africa?

We infringe on others rights, those same rights we expect others will uphold in respect of our businesses. Yet because we suffer from tunnel vision, we demand that others surrender their rights to their intellectual property. Why? Simple because it is a short term solution to our greed and ineptness.

Excellent Post!

That's exactly what I wanted to say but you said it much better.

[ColPyat]

The discussion has now reached a point where i am completely out of my depth.

But keep it up please, i follow it with high interest.

Some people regurgitate Fox News without being or knowing the industry - armachair pundits

They can sing all they like about Asians and their education while all the time they are slipping past them up the ladder.

I have worked all over the world and I know now who i see as the most dedicated and (I do not know the word to use) clever people I work with. Like I said last night to my pal a consukltant neuro-radiologist - "Working with these people brings your own game up" - He totally agreed

Just because there is a huge gap between rich and poor in Asia, does not equate that the upper ranks being any less educated or motivated than the upper ranks in the west. It just means that there are a lot more poor and uneducated sectors of society than in the west, and stuck in poverty that is far worse than one can see in developed countries.

The gap does cause tremendous difficulties now, and will so in the future, but that is a diferent topic alltogether (somehow related though, as it is one of the reasons for the wide spread of AIDS).

For example, here in the AIDS field, the hobbies of infamous pharmaceutist Krisana Kraisintu, developer of GPO-Vir, are reading Shakespeare in the original, and studying philosophy, especially western philosophy and comparative philosophy. In addition to that she is an opera afficiado.

Hmm..., yes, uneducated...

[Prakanong]

Exactly

I see more driven Asians than I do westerners - we have lost our fight in many cases

I work alonside Chinese. Singaporeans, Filipina's, Taiwanese, Koreans, Japanese, Indians, Indonesians, Malays and all I see are dedicated well educated people.

I said to my pal yesterday - its sometime embarrassing at meeting as I am the only one who is not a PHd, Medical Dr or as some of them both - these people have degree's from Uni's we all know and have heard of.

As some buffoon said above - their education is not as good as the people in the west - all I can do is guffaw - most on this board could not tie the shoelaces of these people and this is just one company out of hundreds

It is the attitude displayed above that is letting the west down and why China and the likes will slaughter us economically in the next generation - but remember their education is no good

Saying this is like the attitude of saying the Japanese will notrbe able to fight because they are all short sighted.

Its blatant racism but the only losers are the racists

Edited February 1, 2007 by Prakanong

[HenryB]

Exactly

I see more driven Asians than I do westerners - we have lost our fight in many cases

I work alonside Chinese. Singaporeans, Filipina's, Taiwanese, Koreans, Japanese, Indians, Indonesians, Malays and all I see are dedicated well educated people.

I said to my pal yesterday - its sometime embarrassing at meeting as I am the only one who is not a PHd, Medical Dr or as some of them both - these people have degree's from Uni's we all know and have heard of.

As some buffoon said above - their education is not as good as the people in the west - all I can do is guffaw - most on this board could not tie the shoelaces of these people and this is just one company out of hundreds

It is the attitude displayed above that is letting the west down and why China and the likes will slaughter us economically in the next generation - but remember their education is no good

Saying this is like the attitude of saying the Japanese will notrbe able to fight because they are all short sighted.

Its blatant racism but the only losers are the racists

I agree the United States is at the end soon Asia shall be sending them food to eat.American can't do anything right. One dollar shall get you 1 yuan or 4 baht. Just check how many White Americans leave the United States by plane every week for other countries.

[mesohappy314]

Exactly

I see more driven Asians than I do westerners - we have lost our fight in many cases

I work alonside Chinese. Singaporeans, Filipina's, Taiwanese, Koreans, Japanese, Indians, Indonesians, Malays and all I see are dedicated well educated people.

I said to my pal yesterday - its sometime embarrassing at meeting as I am the only one who is not a PHd, Medical Dr or as some of them both - these people have degree's from Uni's we all know and have heard of.

As some buffoon said above - their education is not as good as the people in the west - all I can do is guffaw - most on this board could not tie the shoelaces of these people and this is just one company out of hundreds

It is the attitude displayed above that is letting the west down and why China and the likes will slaughter us economically in the next generation - but remember their education is no good

Saying this is like the attitude of saying the Japanese will notrbe able to fight because they are all short sighted.

Its blatant racism but the only losers are the racists

First off, let's try to rise above personal insults. It indicates that you're fighting a losing battle. But, in response, I never insulted Asian people. I simply pointed out the difference in education that they receive. I'm sure you could do a search on this forum and find plenty of discussions in that area.

I do speak from experience. As a department manager of an international R&D group, I'd wager it's from greater experience than you are speaking from. And as a manager, I've found that those with a western education are far better at creating new ideas and systems (German-educated, especially). Asian-educated are better at number-crunching. Interesting you should bring up the computer thing, because that is exactly where I would expect them to excel. And it is not R&D.

As a final note, drive does not necessarily reflect ability (this is a sad fact) and degrees vary widely by subject and institution with regard to the level of creativity which is instilled or demanded.

[ColPyat]

First off, let's try to rise above personal insults. It indicates that you're fighting a losing battle. But, in response, I never insulted Asian people. I simply pointed out the difference in education that they receive. I'm sure you could do a search on this forum and find plenty of discussions in that area.

I do speak from experience. As a department manager of an international R&D group, I'd wager it's from greater experience than you are speaking from. And as a manager, I've found that those with a western education are far better at creating new ideas and systems (German-educated, especially).

I wonder though why then as a manager you have not yet found that there are countless "Asians" that have received the best possible western education from many of the most respected universities in the west.

[wintermute]

I do speak from experience. As a department manager of an international R&D group, I'd wager it's from greater experience than you are speaking from. And as a manager, I've found that those with a western education are far better at creating new ideas and systems (German-educated, especially). Asian-educated are better at number-crunching. Interesting you should bring up the computer thing, because that is exactly where I would expect them to excel. And it is not R&D.

If this were true then Japan would never have had breakthroughs in the consumer electronics or consumer vehicle market. After all if they were so uncreative then the west would have always dominated in creating practical and economical consumer products to sell thus dominating the global market. However, that's not what we saw in the 80's..we saw a radical shift in business that highlighted new business, manufacturing, and vehicle design coming from Asia. The Japanese always had limited resources and they weren't using low tech/high labor manufacturing to fuel their economy. This boom also partially fueled companies like Sony to become leaders in the consumer electronics industry. Japan is still the second biggest economy in the world and it's a country with remarkably few natural resources in comparison to other regions in the world.

These days it's Korea, Taiwan, and now China that is increasingly taking over the mantle of what Japan started.

As a final note, drive does not necessarily reflect ability (this is a sad fact) and degrees vary widely by subject and institution with regard to the level of creativity which is instilled or demanded.

I know plenty of smart lazy people that don't do shit with their lives. It's the motivated ones who tend to make something of themselves. If you're smart AND motivated then the world is your oyster.

Edited February 4, 2007 by wintermute

[sriracha john]

What is it about Aids that it can be regarded as a "public health emergency" that can't be applied to heart disease? Is it the number of cases? The impact on family structure? The impediment on life style after diagnosis? The mortality rate?

Why is Aids considered a "true emergency"?

It kills younger people. This also costs the community more.

The World Health Organisation's latest antiretroviral treatment guidelines for resource-poor settings released at the Toronto Conference recommend newer generation ARVs for both first- and second-line therapy. Because of patent issues, many of these drugs are not available from generic manufacturers. As a result, originator companies are able to charge prohibitively high prices and are often slow to make the drugs available in developing countries.

“We applaud the fact that WHO has expanded the drug formulary to include newer drugs into their guidelines. However, no mechanism exists to make those drugs available at a country level.” said Dr Alexandra Calmy of MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. “It is the responsibility of WHO to encourage governments to use the flexibilities in the WTO TRIPS Agreement, including issuing compulsory licenses to access generic drugs. Other actors, including the Global Fund and UNAIDS must also get serious about the fact that we’re facing a potentially major crisis unless they act now to bring down the cost of treatment.”

Generic competition has been a major engine driving down the price of first line drugs from over $US 10,000 per patient per year to under $US 140. Today, 50% of people in the developing world on ARVs rely on generic medicines from India. However, now that countries like India have to grant patents on medicines, sources of generic medicines are at risk of drying up.

Ensuring affordability of newer medicines is the only way to ensure long-term quality care for people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world. “I would not be alive today if I could not access second-line medicines,” says Ibrahim Umoru, a peer educator working for MSF in Lagos, Nigeria, who had to switch treatment in 2006 after having developed resistance to first-line. “I am in the very lucky minority. Most patients whose lives had been saved by first-line treatment will be abandoned the moment they need second-line drugs unless governments pull their heads out of the sand and start tackling this issue.”

WHO sticks head in sand over high cost of newer AIDS drugs - Must act to ensure long-term quality care for people with HIV/AIDS-Taken from press release: Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Boarders.

Maybe the Thai Government is taking the bull by the horns?

Indeed, they are.

It's also good that you mention Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Borders. I support their recommendations to the WTO:

- Cover all medically essential drugs, not only those for relatively high-profile diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, or tuberculosis

_________

Disease discrimination is something I don't support.

A life-sustaining medication is a life-sustaining medication.

____________

like I was saying...

Thailand broadens debate on generics with heart drug

BANGKOK - Thailand, which provides free medical care for the poor, is clashing with the powerful pharmaceutical industry by becoming the first country to approve a copycat version of a blockbuster heart disease drug.

In a move activists hope will set a precedent for developing countries, the government has decided to allow imports of cheaper generic forms of Plavix, the world's second top-selling medicine, and AIDS drug Kaletra.

Last month's decision has drawn outrage from drug companies who say it damages Thailand's image in the global business community. But the government argues it is acting in line with World Trade Organization rules.

"Heart disease is one of leading causes of death among Thai people. We are dealing with the lives of many people," said Sanguan Nitatayarumphong, secretary-general of the health security office at the public health ministry.

"We are just helping our patients, and our decision is consistent with WTO rules," Sanguan said.

A WTO deal in 2001 allows nations affected by diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis a temporary exemption from international laws protecting intellectual property rights.

Plavix, a blood-thinning treatment to prevent heart attacks, costs 120 baht (3.50 dollars) per pill. Sanguan said only 20 percent of heart disease patients here have access to the life-saving medicine.

The generic version approved in January will cost only six to 12 baht per pill, he said.

"We are human beings. Human beings want to survive. If the drug is cheap, people can easily access it and there should be no problems," he said.

Plavix, sold by French-based Sanofi-Aventis and its US partner, Bristol Myers-Squibb, raked in global sales of 5.9 billion dollars in 2005.

Thailand's top pharmaceutical group, which comprises 38 drug firms, has slammed the government's decision saying it was "a stunning blow" to foreign investment in the kingdom.

But the government dismissed the criticism and said it would start importing the generic Plavix, as well as the generic anti-retroviral AIDS drug Kaletra, from India -- a major producer of generic medicines -- in mid-2007.

Charity Doctors Without Borders hailed the government's move, saying it should become a precedent for developing nations struggling with rising costs of imported drugs.

"It was a good example as it showed that we can have generic drugs not just for AIDS but for any kind of disease," said Kannikar Kijtiwatchakul, a campaigner for the Paris-based group in Thailand.

The government also decided in November to import another anti-retroviral AIDS drug, Efavirenz, from India in the first six months of this year, with a plan to produce it on its own later.

The health ministry's Sanguan said the government had to speed up generic drug programs in the face of ballooning health care costs, which amount to more than 250 billion baht (seven billion dollars) each year.

"Health care costs keep rising, and about one-third of them goes to buy imported medicines and medical equipment," the doctor said. "With generic drugs, we can treat more people under the same budget."

Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted by the military in a September coup, set up an enormously popular health scheme allowing Thais to pay only 30 baht (about 80 US cents) for each visit to the doctor.

Following the putsch, the army-installed government went further by scrapping the 30-baht payment, creating a free-for-everyone health care system.

All of Thailand's 65 million people are eligible for the universal health plan unless they have coverage from their employer or qualify for other government insurance schemes.

The United Nations has also hailed Thailand's universal HIV/AIDS treatment program, which helped slash the number of deaths from AIDS by about 75 percent in 2005. Today, nearly 600,000 people are HIV-positive in Thailand.

Treatment with AIDS drug Kaletra currently costs 11,580 baht (323 dollars) per month and could drop to 4,000 baht per month with the generic version, according to Doctors Without Borders.

The cheaper version would further help the kingdom's battle against AIDS, said Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the department of disease control at the health ministry.

- AFP

Edited February 5, 2007 by sriracha john

[Jai Dee]

Health Ministry to buy HIV drugs if only prices are reduced

The Public Health Ministry said it would consider buying the original drugs for treating HIV and heart disease only if the manufacturers bring their prices more in line with generic drugs.

However, Public Health Minister Mongkok na Songkhla said yesterday he was not personally going to negotiate with the patent owners of the combination anti-retroviral drugs and an anti-blood clotting drug. The taskforce in charge of compulsory licensing will meet with the drug companies tomorrow, he said.

It was expected that the drug companies would discuss the possibility that the ministry continues to buy their original products at an agreed price.

Last week, the ministry invoked a compulsory licence for the HIV/Aids drug Kaletra made by United-States-based Abbott Laboratories and the anti-clotting agent Plavix made by Sanofi-Aventis of France and Bristol-Myers Squibb of the US.

The ministry said the decision was justified under international trade rules because the high cost of the drugs constituted a crisis for the nation's health service.

Since then, the ministry has yet to proceed with compulsory licensing pending the companies' request to negotiate over the recently announced compulsory licensing, Mongkol said.

Concerning a suggestion by the drug companies involved to have the Intellectual Property Department mediate on the negotiations, Mongkol said the department was only authorised to mediate on royalty fees not the price of drugs.

The agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) states that under compulsory licensing the drug patent owner is eligible to receive a royalty fee in a range of up to five per cent of the market value of its product.

"Only in a case where they could not come to an agreement on by how much the drug companies should be compensated, then the department would step in," Mongkol said.

Source: The Nation - 7 February 2007

[Prakanong]

Health Ministry to buy HIV drugs if only prices are reduced

The Public Health Ministry said it would consider buying the original drugs for treating HIV and heart disease only if the manufacturers bring their prices more in line with generic drugs.

However, Public Health Minister Mongkok na Songkhla said yesterday he was not personally going to negotiate with the patent owners of the combination anti-retroviral drugs and an anti-blood clotting drug. The taskforce in charge of compulsory licensing will meet with the drug companies tomorrow, he said.

It was expected that the drug companies would discuss the possibility that the ministry continues to buy their original products at an agreed price.

Last week, the ministry invoked a compulsory licence for the HIV/Aids drug Kaletra made by United-States-based Abbott Laboratories and the anti-clotting agent Plavix made by Sanofi-Aventis of France and Bristol-Myers Squibb of the US.

The ministry said the decision was justified under international trade rules because the high cost of the drugs constituted a crisis for the nation's health service.

Since then, the ministry has yet to proceed with compulsory licensing pending the companies' request to negotiate over the recently announced compulsory licensing, Mongkol said.

Concerning a suggestion by the drug companies involved to have the Intellectual Property Department mediate on the negotiations, Mongkol said the department was only authorised to mediate on royalty fees not the price of drugs.

The agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) states that under compulsory licensing the drug patent owner is eligible to receive a royalty fee in a range of up to five per cent of the market value of its product.

"Only in a case where they could not come to an agreement on by how much the drug companies should be compensated, then the department would step in," Mongkol said.

Source: The Nation - 7 February 2007

So this is the Thai negotiating stance?

Not contacting the company's first but saying they were invoking a compulsory licence.

The company's saying they have never talked to us but please do.

The Thai's now saying we will buy them at a price similar to generic price (but there is not a generic price at the moment???)

Now they negotiate???

In the book, "The Undercover Economist" there is a good piece about why its win-win for Pharma to sell drugs at lower prices to less developed countries.

All they really have to worry about is drugs leaking back onto hight priced markets but different packaging and labeling help towards that - they can tell where they came from!

But - why does Thailand have to enter negotiations like this - the boy who cried wolf and all that - playing the hardest ball first hit is not always to best way to get what you want everytime but TIT

[Jai Dee]

NHSO Secretary: Compulsory license to produce lower-cost versions of drug truly benefits patients

Secretariat of the National Health Security Office (NHSO) affirms the Ministry of Public Health’s issuance of compulsory license to produce generic versions of drug is aimed at helping patients gain access to expensive medicine.

NHSO Secretariat Md.Sughuan Nittayarampong (สงวน นิตยารัมภ์พงศ์) revealed that before the issuance of the compulsory license, drug companies had sold their medicine for very high prices. As a result, most patients cannot afford the medicine. The matter had prompted the Ministry of Public Health to issue the license, especially the license for Clopidogrel which treats coronary artery disease.

According to Md.Saghuan, only 20 percent of coronary artery disease patients in the health security project can access Clopidogrel as it costs as much as 73 baht per pill. If the medicine is brought under the drug patent, it will cost only 6 to 12 baht.

NHSO believes that the issuance of compulsory license will not make drug companies loose large sums of benefit. NHSO sees that patients of private hospitals, who can afford high-prices medicine, are not likely to participate in the government’s health security project in order to receive lower-cost versions of medicine.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 07 Febuary 2007

[slimdog]

Drug licensing move counter-productive

Ministry says move acceptable under WTO rules, but it has fuelled jitters about where Thailand is heading

Under the trying circumstances of restoring democracy, any slightest move in Thailand is prone to arouse suspicion under the intense glare of the international community.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla should have anticipated the international reaction before he decided to impose compulsory licensing for two generic drugs - a popular anti-Aids medication and a top-selling heart drug.

Without a doubt, Mongkol had the best interests of Thai citizens at heart when he made up his mind. His track record as a public health veteran is beyond reproach but he has inadvertently put the country at the centre of a fiery debate on intellectual property.

In addition to attracting the wrath of the pharmaceutical industry, which was predictable, the country has abruptly turned into a giant puzzle among key players in the financial and capital markets around the world.

This happens to compound the confusion of foreign investors in the wake of the power seizure.

Many are questioning whether Thailand is about to make an economic U-turn in light of its adoption of the sufficiency economy as a guide to national development.

Mongkol's controversial decision has exacerbated international jitters as to where the country is heading in regard to its economic and political direction.

Out of the blue, the Public Health Ministry put out an announcement on compulsory licensing on January 26, two days after it had enacted the new rules.

The ministry justified its action as acceptable under the international trade protocols sanctioned by the World Trade Organisation. It cited budgetary constraints and unfair pricing by the pharmaceutical industry as two main reasons for compulsory licensing.

The ministerial announcement stated that some 10,000 people living with Aids would benefit from the cheaper drug Kaletra, a prescription for overcoming resistance to HIV medication.

While the patent suspension for Kaletra would last five years, Thai authorities did not limit the production timetable for Plavix, a medication for blood clots.

They also reminded the pharmaceutical industry to brace for more compulsory licensing of other generic drugs. Thailand has won international kudos for securing a greater access to HIV medicines since 2002 and its compulsory licensing of Kaletra is hardly a surprise.

Investors and foreign governments are puzzled, however, about the country's stand on the patents of other generic drugs. A pressing question is whether Thailand is becoming a rogue state poised to embrace drug piracy.

Mongkol's high-handed approach in trying to force pharmaceutical giants to the negotiating table to reset drug prices has fuelled speculation that the country is drifting away from the force of globalisation. Foreign friends are worried that Thailand under the junta's rule will do something rash and harmful to the norms of international trade.

Industry lobbyists and foreign representatives have tried to voice their concerns via official and unofficial channels.

Thai embassies in major capitals, along with the Commerce Ministry and the Foreign Ministry have experienced a deluge of questions about Mongkol's true intentions and a possible shift on trade policy.

To counter international concerns over the consequences of compulsory licensing, Mongkol and his subordinates have tried to publicise the positive reactions from non-government organisations both at home and abroad.

It is no secret that health-related non-government organisations are no friends of the powerful drug industry, and while the Public Health Ministry is obliged to serve the public it should not allow itself to become a proxy in fighting a battle that is not in the national interest.

It is one thing to work out a mutual solution on drug pricing, but the ministry's focus might be misplaced if it tries to be a darling of the NGOs even at the expense of becoming an outcast in international trade.

Mongkol should reflect on his performance.

Is his attempt to balance the healthcare budget worth putting the country at risk in the eyes of foreign investors?

source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/02/08...cs_30026279.php

[HenryB]

I agree American company's charged to much for one year the rest of the world should boycott American drugs to teach them a license They can buy drugs from Cuba South Africa and Pakistan, that are better for less money.

Why do people think American drugs are better? They are brain washed.

Edited February 8, 2007 by HenryB

[Prakanong]

I agree American company's charged to much for one year the rest of the world should boycott American drugs to teach them a license They can buy drugs from Cuba South Africa and Pakistan, that are better for less money.

Why do people think American drugs are better? They are brain washed.

Teach them a license????

As for drugs from Pakistan LOL - I think you mean India who has a strong Pharma industry especially in generics but as for Pakistan - you are on more drugs than they have

I think it may be you who are brainwashed!

Your anti-americanism betrays you

PS: I am not American

Edited February 8, 2007 by Prakanong

[taxin]

Thailand stuns drug firms with generic licenses

That decision drew a swift riposte from U.S. drug maker and patent holder Merck & Co Inc. By contrast, AIDS activists applauded Bangkok for taking a bold stance.

-- Reuters 2007-01-25

Maybe a bit off topic but .... this "taking a bold stance" against the US, could it open up further opportunities for Thailand to stick 2 fingers up to the Yanks, and make money from doing so ?

Does anyone else consider Thailand as one of the very few countries that will not be bullied or intimidated by the US ? Although the yanks like to call the Thais there allies

I quite like this military rule

[slimdog]

Drug company hints at reducing price of HIV drug

Abbott Laboratories, which is affected by the recently announced compulsory licensing has agreed, in principle, to find ways to bring down the price of its HIV drug Kaletra.

The pharmaceutical giant held the first round of negotiations with the Public Health Ministry's team Thursday, following the ministry's announcement to enforce the compulsory licensing for the lifesaving drug along with another drug for the treatment of heart disease.

Abbott agreed to go back and find ways to reduce the price of Kaletra, whereas the ministry promised to find out the exact amount supplies it needed, Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, who led ministry's negotiation team said.

No final agreement was reached at the talks, Thawat said, adding there was plenty of time for further negotiations on the matter. Stocks of Kaletra were sufficient for at least four to six months, meaning the ministry had enough time to reach a satisfactory price, said Thawat.

source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingne...newsid=30026341

[Galong]

Heart medicine? Well, as I only know two Thais who don't smoke and no Thais who consider that almost everything they eat is deep fat fried in PALM OIL, it's no wonder that heart disease is a biggy here. Come on, this is common sense.

Let's look at the wonderful drug dealers, oops I mean pharmaceutical companies, and what they're all about:

1. The HIV test is NOT dependable. There are numberous reasons for your test to come back as a false positive Read this.

2. The medical community has yet to actually isolate HIV. they are looking at how the body responds to something that they call HIV. Odd as it sounds, this is the truth.

3. Many of the drugs are toxic and can actually cause some of the diseases that are considered AIDS! AZT for example, was developed to fight cancer. The drug was so toxic that it was not allowed to be used for cancer. It's seems it's OK however to use it on AIDS patients... for some unknown reason.

4. There is NO proof that HIV causes AIDS! Don't believe me. Read about the recent German court ruling.

So, it appears likely that these lovely folks who really care about people dying could actually be promoting products that kill. They could be killing people who aren't actually infected... and the list goes on and on.

Whenever BIG money is involved, I get suspicious. This is potentially one of the biggest and most horrific scams of modern times.

[Prakanong]

Heart medicine? Well, as I only know two Thais who don't smoke and no Thais who consider that almost everything they eat is deep fat fried in PALM OIL, it's no wonder that heart disease is a biggy here. Come on, this is common sense.

Let's look at the wonderful drug dealers, oops I mean pharmaceutical companies, and what they're all about:

1. The HIV test is NOT dependable. There are numberous reasons for your test to come back as a false positive Read this.

2. The medical community has yet to actually isolate HIV. they are looking at how the body responds to something that they call HIV. Odd as it sounds, this is the truth.

3. Many of the drugs are toxic and can actually cause some of the diseases that are considered AIDS! AZT for example, was developed to fight cancer. The drug was so toxic that it was not allowed to be used for cancer. It's seems it's OK however to use it on AIDS patients... for some unknown reason.

4. There is NO proof that HIV causes AIDS! Don't believe me. Read about the recent German court ruling.

So, it appears likely that these lovely folks who really care about people dying could actually be promoting products that kill. They could be killing people who aren't actually infected... and the list goes on and on.

Whenever BIG money is involved, I get suspicious. This is potentially one of the biggest and most horrific scams of modern times.

That old cherry HIV/AIDS is a myth

OK then if its a myth we will arrange for some blood from an infected person and you can inject it into yourself without fear ok?