Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - February 5, 2008
Apiradee Treerutkuarkul
Paul Cawthorne, the head of mission for Medicin Sans Frontieres (MSF), said it was "very good news" after being informed by officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the United Nations Development Programme and international law experts that the report would be ready within 10 days.
"A report will be important for the new government and the new public health minister to come up with a clear and right policy on public access to the medicines," he said.
The delegation started a three-day visit yesterday after a request by outgoing Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla when he was under political pressure in November 2006.
The pressure came after he announced a policy of compulsory licensing (CL) to bypass patents on Aids drugs Efavirenz and Kaletra and the heart drug Plavix.
Due to pressure from the pharmaceutical industry, he downplayed his recent decision to override patents on three drugs for treating breast and lung cancer before completing his term.
The mission is aimed at learning about the Thai policy on CL and lessons learned after putting the policy into practice.
The fact-finding team yesterday visited the Department of Intellectual Property, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) running the universal healthcare scheme, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Disease Control Department.
They also met with representatives of consumer groups and non-governmental organisations including MSF, Oxfam and the Network of People Living with HIV/Aids.
Siriwat Tiptaradol, the FDA secretary-general chairing the price-negotiation panel, said the international team asked the panel about the process of putting the compulsory licensing policy into effect.
However, Wirat Poorahong, leader of the Thai Network of People Living with HIV/Aids, said he was not certain about getting any help from the delegates after talking to them.
But, he believed the report would help the new public health minister follow a similar policy in a bid to increase public access to life-saving drugs.
The seven-member delegation will today meet officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and the pharmaceutical industry including representatives from Abbott, Sanofi-Aventis and Merck. They own patents for drugs on the list which are subject to compulsory licensing.
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