Govt to join drugs pool
Cabinet approval for Thailand to join other countries and the Clinton Foundation in bulk buying of drugs at cheaper prices will help it ensure treatment for all HIV/Aids sufferers.
The Cabinet is expected to approve pool membership soon, following initial moves by Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla.If it joins the pool, Thailand will be able to buy important HIV/Aids medicines like heat-resistant Lopinavir/Ritonavir at much lower prices. The Clinton Foundation, headed by former United States president Bill Clinton, asked Thailand to join it in securing lower prices for drugs for underdeveloped or developing countries faced with chronic illnesses or incurable diseases. The foundation, along with country pool members will secure cheaper drugs from pharmaceutical companies by guaranteeing bulk purchases. Lopinavir/Ritonavir drugs are included in Aids treatments the government guarantees to all sufferers. It is vital for patients who have used other drugs and developed resistance to them. Joining the pool will not inhibit Thailand from independently purchasing other HIV/Aids drugs or other pharmaceuticals, including bird-flu or flu treatments and tuberculosis medications, according to a Cabinet note signed yesterday by the prime minister's secretary-general Pongthep Tesprateep. Thailand can continue to purchase drugs from companies not partners with the foundation and its purchasing pool. Clinton is expected to meet drug companies at an unspecified date this month in New York. Piyanart Srivalo The Nation
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