Thailand's Pharmaceutical Prices Set To Rise

Thailand's pharmaceutical prices set to rise

BANGKOK: -- The Thai government has been urged to prepare the local pharmaceutical industry for an increase in the prices of imported raw materials.

Thailand’s pharmaceutical industry will be directly hit when two key sources of imported chemicals -- India and China, which have to comply with World Trade Organization regulations, especially intellectual property laws.

Until now pharmaceutical producers in both countries have copied key substances necessary for the productions of medicines sold at low prices.

These manufacturers will have to pay for royalties or property rights once the law comes into force which force up the prices of their products.

The government should prepare the local industry with programmes to help them cope and find local alternatives.

The government and the public sector needs to cooperate in finding new chemicals with cheaper costs for the local pharmaceutical industry.

“Thailand hastily adopted the intellectual right laws 13 years ago which weakened the local pharmaceutical industry because it had no time to develop its ability to produce the necessary substitute ingredients,” the FDA's Secretary General, Dr Pakdee Pothisiri, said.

"We have to seriously conduct research and develop new pharmaceutical substances and medicines of our own with cheaper prices, through cooperation of all agencies concerned in both the public and private sectors, and register them under the patent law", he urged.

Dr. Pakdee also expressed concerns over the negotiations on the Thai-US free trade agreement, as he expected the US government to play hard ball on the issue of pharmaceutical copyright.

If Thailand failed to extend the copyright from 15 to 20 years, the US might impose 301 Act as a punishment for Thailand’s violation of US copyright.

--TNA 2005-03-26