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Published on October 17, 2007

Secretary-general Siriwat Thiptarado yesterday declined to name the company but said its version was bioequivalent to Aluvia, which is manufactured by American firm Abbott Laboratories.

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is considering how much of the drug to import. The government enforced compulsory licensing on Aluvia earlier this year.

Siriwat also said the government committee for negotiating compulsory licensing would meet tomorrow with the firms holding patents for imatinib, docetaxel, erlotinib and lectrozole.

Novartis sells imatinib under the Glivec brand, while Sanofi-Aventis manufactures docetaxel and sells it as Taxotere. Erlotinib was manufactured by OSI Pharmaceuticals as Tarceva.

"We were told by Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis and Roche that they would attend the meeting," Siriwat said.

He expects discussions with the drug firms to produce good results, but if the government cannot manage to reduce the price of those cancer drugs, it will impose compulsory licensing. Pongphon Sarnsamak,

The nation