More generic drugs wanted by Thailand

In response to the decision by US drugmaker Abbott Laboratories to boycott Thailand's market for new drugs, itself a reaction to an earlier government decision to issue compulsory licenses against other Abbott products (Marketletters passim), the Southeast Asian country is looking to import generic versions of the antiretroviral drug Aluvia (lopinavir/ritonavir).

A source at Thailand's Public Health Ministry allegedly told the Bangkok Post that the department was investigating the possibility for generic drugmakers to supply copycat versions of Abbott's protease inhibitor. The government also reportedly hopes to receive aid from the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (Chai) to help negotiate better rates with drugmakers.

In 2006, Abbott had announced a price for Aluvia in Thailand of about $2,200 per year, based on the firm's ranking of the country as a developing middle-income market.