[Ip-health] Forum: Is Compulsory Licensing the Solution to Patients' Access to Treatment?

[Mike Palmedo]

http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=5334

Is Compulsory Licensing the Solution to Patients' Access to Treatment?
2nd-Line Therapy Can Be Reduced by 90%: World Bank

Seoul Times - May 23, 2007
Special Contribution From Health & Development Networks

Civil society organizations, in particular HIV/AIDS NGOs in Northern
Thailand, will convene a Forum on May 29, 2007 to share views and adopt
a common position on compulsory licensing.

The Forum comes in the wake of the Thai government's recent decision to
issue compulsory licences on drugs to treat HIV (i.e. Kaletra, and
efavirenz) and heart disease (i.e. Plavix). Compulsory licences are
legal documents entitling a country to manufacture or import generic
copies of drugs considered essential to human health.

The decision received worldwide support from civil society organizations
involved in HIV/AIDS work, but was heavily criticized by the US
government and pharmaceutical companies.

Thai civil society organisations, led by people living with HIV, have
over the years campaigned for the introduction of compulsory licensing
of HIV drugs in order to reduce the cost of antiretroviral treatment in
Thailand.

Since October 2003, the Thai government has had a policy of universal
coverage for antiretroviral treatment; patients receive their drugs free
of charge.

Thailand has over 500,000 people living with HIV, and 80,000 are already
receiving antiretroviral treatment, i.e., a generic drug called GPO-VIR.
This first line treatment or first line therapy is a medical therapy
recommended for the initial treatment of the disease.

Approximately 12,000 HIV positive people in the country have developed
drug resistance to the first line treatment. Second line therapy
(treatment that is given when first-line therapy doesn't work, or stops
working) is the only option when HIV positive people develop drug
resistance otherwise they die.

The Thai government says the current market price for second line
therapy is too high - about $2,200 or 73,000 baht - per person per year
and that it cannot afford the huge cost.

By breaking the patent on Kaletra, the Thai government estimates it
would save 8,000 lives per year, by making distribution possible to
people who cannot afford it through the country's public health care system.

The World Bank has estimated that Thailand could reduce the cost of
second-line therapy by 90% if it introduced compulsory licenses for all
the drugs it needs in second-line therapy, saving itself $3.2 billion
over the next 20 years.

Many countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Mozambique
and Zambia, have broken or have threatened to break patents on drugs for
HIV and other infectious diseases.

The May Monthly NGO Forum will focus on the issue of compulsory
licensing and adopt a common position shared by NGOs in Northern Thailand.

The Forum is organized by the Northern NGO Coalition on AIDS (NNCA),
Health & Development Networks (HDN), The Upper Northern Thai Network of
People Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP+), The Church of Christ in Thailand
(CCT) AIDS Ministry (CAM), AIDSNet Foundation, Maewang River Lowland
People Community Radio Station (MLCR), Faith Based Organizations and
other partnerships.

Main speakers at the event will be:

- Mr. John Ungpakorn, ex-senator and secretary of AIDSAccess Foundation
- Mr. Arnan Muangmoonchai, chairman of The Upper Northern Thai Network
of People Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP+).
- Dr Prawate Khidarn, general secretary of the Christian Conference of
Asia (CCA)
- Asst. Prof Sanyalux Panvatalikit, PAYAP University Faculty of Law Lecturer

Ms. Sureerat Treemankra, a member of the National Economic and Social
Advisory Council (NESAC) will moderate the forum.

Please come and participate in this Monthly NGO Forum.

Together we are stronger. Come and make you voices heard.

NGO Forum Details:

Topic: Is Compulsory Licensing the Solution to Patients' Access to
Treatment?
Date: Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Time: 1.00-4.30 pm.
Location: Rattanakosin Hotel, A.Muang, Chiang Mai

To register and for more information RSVP at: 053-418438 ext.110
Email: actioncentre@hdnet.org



--
Mike Palmedo
Research Coordinator
Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property
American University, Washington College of Law
4910 Massachutsetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016
T - 202-274-4442 | F 202-274-0659
mpalmedo@wcl.american.edu