Cheaper psychotropic drugs

He made the announcement after attending a meeting at which an NHSO subcommittee proposed that these two drugs be added to the national list because their commercial licenses had already expired.

Once the drugs are added to the national list, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) can produce cheaper, generic versions. Winai said antidepressant Sertraline will only cost Bt5 per tablet instead of Bt37; and Risperidone, used to treat patients with schizophrenia symptoms, will cost Bt4 per tab instead of Bt58 per tablet.

Citing a 2008 report from the Mental Health Department, Winai said more than 12 million people in Thailand suffered from psychotic symptoms, of which only 4 per cent had access to treatment.

300,000 to 600,000 had severe symptoms, 600,000 to 1.2 million suffered from depression and 240,000 suffered from other disorders. Only 4 per cent of the total patients have access to the treatment due to expense price of drugs.

In a bid to have more patients treated, the NHSO has been asked to purchase these drugs from the GPO and distribute to hospitals nationwide.