New minister prefers to talk to drug firms first

Chaovarat Chanweerakul said he agreed with his predecessor Chaiya Sasomsap, now commerce minister, whose stance on compulsory licensing angered Aids groups.

"I think he [Chaiya] is doing right by saying that - because he has to protect to benefit of the Ministry of Commerce and I have to protect the benefit of Ministry of Public Health.

"This is not a conflict between us," he said. "Chaiya is just trying not to generate an annoying sound for big buyers, who would buy our goods."

Thailand has imposed compulsory licensing (CL) for HIV/Aids, heart-disease and cancer drugs since last year to cut the price of these essential drugs for more than 100,000 patients.

Pharmaceutical companies have complained this violates intellectual property rights and tried to stop Thailand extending the policy to other life-saving drugs.

The former minister Chaiya sought to revise the Public Health Ministry's stance of imposing compulsory licensing (CL) for essential drugs. He said he received a confidential letter from the Commerce Ministry asking him to suspend enforcement of CL for cancer drugs, which was imposed by the previous minister, Dr Mongkol Na Songkla.

The Commerce Ministry claimed enforcement of CL for expensive drugs affected international trade, particularly with the US, which has many big pharmaceutical companies based here.

Chaovarat said that so far, the Public Health Ministry had not revoked compulsory licensing for any essential drugs, but retaind it as a key mechanism to negotiate for cheaper drugs.

"Imposing compulsory licensing for expensive drugs would be the last mechanism that we would use to help the poor get access to life-saving drugs at a fair price," he said.

"First, we have to negotiate with drug firms to reduce the price of their drugs. If they do not agree with us we will then impose compulsory licensing for expensive drugs to save our patient lives," he said.

Imposing compulsory licensing for expensive drug depended on the needs of patients, but currently they were satisfied with the price of seven drugs subject to CL since last year. These include drugs for HIV/Aids, heart disease and cancer.

He said the Public Health Ministry would investigate a new option to help patients access expensive drugs, such as collaborating with countries that impose compulsory licensing to negotiate with drug firms to reduce the price drugs.

Reducing import tax on drug products was another option that would help patients to access drugs cheaply.

However, Nimit Tien-udom, director of the Aids Access Foundation, said the new minister should create an opportunity for civic groups to participate in negotiations with drug firms. That would be transparent, accountable and would boost access to essential drugs in the long-term.