Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said yesterday a new version was due of a white paper explaining the government's compulsory drug licences (CL) and that prices would now be considered in drug registration.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said three foreign drug companies had postponed CL negotiations with Thai authorities until June 6.

Mongkol said the licensing was a measure to give Thais better access to drugs and that negotiations, based on previous experience, would in future be conducted from a more firmer standpoint as the humble and polite way was not working.

"From now on, if anyone threatens or pressures us regarding the CL, we will react. We'll not apply Thai humbleness to let them one-sidedly attack us," he said.

The new version of the report would include details of the ministry's explanation in New York, Washington and at the WHO meeting in Geneva.

Presiding over the opening of the National Drug List seminar yesterday, Mongkol said the country's expenses on drugs was over a third (35 per cent) of the overall health expenses - compared to other developing country's 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

However, Thai people's health was not better than those in low drug-consuming countries, as research had shown there was medicinal abuse and as much as 20 per cent of hospitalised patients suffered side effects from drugs, he added.

From now on, cost would be part of drug registration, meaning that a drug company must explain its price structure before registration with the FDA and if the price was too high or inappropriate, the authority would not register the drug, he said.

As for the National Drug List, the price factor would also be considered as well as the drug's effectiveness, he added.

Mongkol said a meeting yesterday on CL with the British Ambassador David William Fall was constructive and went well. He said the UK wanted to know if Thailand would continue implementing the CL because the UK also had many big drug companies. Mongkol confirmed Thailand would only issue CLs for necessary drugs. He said the UK had expressed satisfaction and support for Thailand's position.

Meanwhile, FDA secretary-general Siriwat Thiptaradol, who led the negotiation committee for the CL of three patented drugs, said the fourth round of negotiations - previously scheduled for tomorrow - had been postponed to June 6. He said Merck Sharp and Dohme, which manufactures the anti-viral drug Efavirenz, Abbott Laboratories, which produces the anti-viral Kaletra, and Sanofi-Aventis, which owns the heart medicine Plavix, all informed the committee that the previously scheduled date was inconvenient for them. So far none had submitted drug prices or conditions, he added.

Siriwat said if the required documents were ready, the registration of Aluvia (Lopinavir+Ritonavir), which has the same formula as Kaletra, and Clopidogrel, which has the same formula as Plavix, could be done in one or two months and they could be distributed in Thailand right after the registrations.

Meanwhile respected academic Professor Prawes Wasi yesterday gave a speech on "Medicine and social responsibility" at an event hosted by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO).

He said society must be informed of the high cost of research that results in expensive drugs, the immense profits made by drug companies and their strategies and lobbying to maintain high prices.

He expressed disagreement with drug patents as they created a gap in people's access to drugs. He said the Thai authorities in the CL battle had been pressured and it seemed that Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont was not keen on being pressured.

"I don't know what the PM thinks, but I'd like to say that he should not think the CL will hurt the government in its battle with US drug companies. It should support the CL because it is a good chance for the poor, otherwise the social gaps will not be narrowed and peace will not prevail. We can't give up and we have to be firm on a rational basis," he said.