Thailand's rulers extend "war" on patents

Thailand's Health Minister has warned of further moves to override the patent rights of foreign drugmakers, in the wake of the recent compulsory licensing decision affecting two HIV/AIDS treatments and one cardiovascular drug (Marketletters February 5 and 19). Mongkol Na Songkhla, formerly Thailand's senior Health Ministry official and who was appointed Minister by the new military government, told the Financial Times that the coup d'etat last year had given him the chance to act. He said: "the politicians, the true politicians, will not do this. But I am not a politician and I have nothing to lose."

Dr Mongkol also told the FT that the military-appointed government was considering whether to ignore the patents for drugs used to treat the leading causes of death in Thailand, eg, cancer and heart disease. He said: "we have to provide our health services to about 49 million people with limited resources." Thailand's health budget is estimated to account for 12% of total government spending, according to the Thai News Agency. Dr Mongkol told local reporters that "medicine is ethical and moral goods, a necessity for life. You cannot treat it the same as other commodities. The right to life should prevail over commercials gains." All of which suggests that the anti-drug industry approach of the Thai government is not easily amenable to negotiation on the part of drugmakers.

Thai precedent "could have disastrous consequences for the global R&D industry"