Executives from the pharmaceutical giant agreed to seek ways to lower the price, during their first round of negotiations with the ministry since the announcement last month that compulsory licensing for the drug would be imposed in Thailand, said the official who led the ministry's negotiating team, Dr Thawat Suntrajarn.

 The ministry's announcement last month that it would impose compulsory licensing on Kaletra and a drug to treat heart disease, Plavix, was hailed by health activists as a move that would save Thai lives while foreign business leaders warned that it was a threat to foreign investment.

 Compulsory licensing allows the patent on the drug to be suspended so that a less expensive generic version could be sold in Thailand. Kaletra is a so-called second-line drug for Aids patients and is used by those who are resistant to the first line.

 Abbott had agreed to find ways to reduce the price of Kaletra, and the ministry said it will determine the exact amount of the drug it needed, Thawat said.

 He said a final agreement had not been reached but there was plenty of time to reach one. With at least four to six months worth of stocks of Kaletra the ministry had enough time to reach a satisfactory agreement on price, he said.

 Kaletra costs Bt6,000 per patient per month.

Figures from the National Health Security Office (NHSO) show that compulsory licensing would cut the cost by one-third - to Bt4,000 per patient per month.

 This could save up to Bt200 million per year, said NHSO chief Dr Sa-nguan Nitayarumphong.

 About 8,000 Thais need the drug, said Dr Sombat Thanprasert-suk, head of the Bureau of Aids, Tuberculosis and Sexually Trans-mitted Diseases.

Meanwhile, a shipment of a generic version of Efavirenz has arrived in Thailand and is ready for distribution. It was the first HIV drug to face compulsory licensing here.

Arthit Khwankhom

The Nation