Foreign groups try to stop Thailand CL climbdown

The recently-elected government of Thailand is coming under growing pressure from antiglobalization groups to retain a compulsory licensing policy introduced by its military-imposed predecessor. A demonstration by the HIV/AIDS activist group Act-Up in Paris, France, outside the Thai embassy was backed up by a letter, signed on behalf of several non-governmental organizations, such as the Global Aids Alliance and Oxfam America, which called on the Health Minister, Chaiya Sasomsab, to press ahead with compulsory licenses for three oncology drugs.

In an unusual twist, the Bangkok Post reported that the Minister does not have the authority to suspend the previously-initiated patent grabs. Mr Chaiya said he had been informed by the senior officials at the Ministries of Public Health, Commerce and Foreign Affairs that the decision taken by his predecessor, Mongkol na Songkhla, was binding. The affected products are France-based Sanofi-Aventis' hormone-refractory prostate cancer therapy Taxotere (docetaxel), Swiss Roche's Tarceva (erlotinib) for lung cancer and Novartis' aromatase inhibitor Femara (letrozole) for breast cancer. The new Public Health Minister argues that, although he cannot formally scrap the licensing process, he has the authority to take no further action with its regard.

A fourth drug, Novartis' leukemia product Glivec/Gleevec (imatinib) was the subject of a separate deal, with the firm agreeing to supply the drug free of charge to patients in Thailand public health service (Marketletters passim).