Thailand's FDA orders publication of drug costs

Thailand's Food and Drug Administration has announced a new requirement for drugmakers to publish the R&D and production costs of new drugs introduced into the country. The move is part of new drug legislation under consideration by the Council of State.

Siriwat Thiptaradol, the agency's Secretary General said: "drugs are a special product and the FDA has a duty to ease the problems of drug access, while protecting consumers' rights. In the meantime, we also have to ensure the move will not severely hurt the benefits of drug companies." He added that he did not anticipate that the measure would provoke other drugmakers to follow the lead of USA-based Abbott Laboratories, which has suspended the introduction of new drugs in Thailand, as part of a dispute involving Kaletra (lopinavir), a protease inhibitor antiretroviral (Marketletters passim).