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Thailand
Will Suspend Companies' Drug Patents
January 30, 2007--As reported in The
Wall Street Journal,
Thailand's government has decided to suspend patent
protections in order to increase access to certain
drugs.
Thailand
's Ministry of Health confirmed that the government
has approved the sale and production of cheap, generic
versions of Plavix, the blood-thinning drug originally
developed by Sanofi-Aventis
and co-marketed in several countries with Bristol-Myers Squibb, and the HIV treatment Kaletra, made by Abbott
Laboratories.
World
Trade Organization rules allow a government to
unilaterally declare an emergency and make or sell
patented drugs without the permission of the drug
companies. At the same time, however, such an ability
of a government to suspend a company's drug patent can
prove a powerful bargaining chip in reducing prices.
For example, in July 2005,
Brazil
reached an agreement with Abbott that lowered the
price of Kaletra while preserving the company's patent
on the drug.
Thailand
’s
Ministry of Health said the controversial move was
necessary to ensure that sick people had access to
affordable drugs. The
Wall Street Journal (Subscription required)
URL: http://www.pharmadd.com/topnews/January
30 2007.asp
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