Bangkok Post - October 3, 2004
Apiradee Treerutkuarkul

Isaraet Gosriwatana, the GPO international sales manager, said production capacity would be expanded to cover the target number of patients after a new state drug factory opens in 2006.

"We have enough capacity to give more people access to low-cost anti-Aids drugs within two years," he said.

The state enterprise under the Public Health Ministry can now make GPO-VIR, a generic version of three combination medicines, for 50,000 local HIV-positive people.

The drugs, which cost 1,200 baht a month, are distributed to poor patients upcountry under a pilot project.

The government will distribute more anti-Aids drugs to HIV-positive Thai patients and those in neighbouring countries, with Burma and Cambodia topping the list.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promised delegates at the XV Inter-national Aids Conference in July to provide ARV drugs to other countries.

In the next financial year starting in October, about 100,000 Thais will get access to the drugs under the universal health care scheme.

Last month the ministry handed out GPO-VIR to 200 patients in Burma, starting a three-year trial, and one million condoms worth 10 million baht to fight the spread of HIV along the border.

The government was also seeking ways to override drug patents through compulsory licensing provided under the World Trade Organisation's agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.

The GPO has sent to cabinet a proposal to adopt compulsory licensing for two drugs, Kaletra and Efavirenz, needed during the second regimen of antiretroviral therapy. If the proposal is approved, generic versions would cut costs to patients by as much as 80%.

But Jiew Premchaiporn, an advocacy team leader of the Aids Access Foundation, said activists were sceptical about the government's promise of cheaper drugs.

They are worried Washington might demand protection of intellectual property rights including patent law during bilateral trade talks with Bangkok.

Drug patents could restrict Thailand's opportunity to exercise compulsory licensing, affecting local generic ARV production and poor people living with HIV/Aids in the long run, she said.

Amal Naj, Pfizer country manager representing the drugs industry in Thai-US free trade negotiations, said protection of intellectual property rights was essential to ensure the continued development of new HIV/Aids drugs.

"We have to invest US$500 million-800 million a year to research and develop the next generation of ARV drugs. It's not cheap," he said.

"No matter how low we bring down the price, poor people can still not afford the drug."

Mr Naj, however, insisted the company was willing to work with any government on access to its products.

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BP041001

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