[Ip-health] Bangkok Post: Chiya's plan for CL poicy review hits major hurdle

[Sarah Rimmington]

 From Phil Robertson:

Bangkok Post, Feb. 20, 2008

Chaiya's plan for CL policyreview hits major hurdle

APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL

 A plan by Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsab to review the policy
on compulsory licensing (CL) for four cancer drugs has hit a major
obstacle after officials from three ministries found that it cannot be
revoked.

Mr Chaiya said permanent secretaries of the commerce, foreign affairs
and public health ministries had concluded that the ministerial
announcements on four cancer drugs made by former public health minister
Mongkol na Songkhla were legitimate and could not be lifted.

Although Mr Chaiya could not change the policy, a source said the
government might take no further action under CL to bypass the patents
of cancer drugs.

The meeting of the three ministries was ordered by Prime Minister Samak
Sundaravej last week to decide if it should go ahead with the previous
government's scheme to break the cancer drug patents.

Dr Mongkol signed four ministerial announcements on Jan 4 to
individually license Letrozole, a breast cancer medicine produced by
Novartis, breast and lung cancer drug Docetaxel made by Sanofi Aventis,
Roche's Erlotinib, used for treating lung, pancreatic and ovarian
cancer, and Imatinib of Novartis used on people with leukaemia.

But he struck a deal with Novartis as the patent holder agreed to supply
its medicine free to more than 900 patients under its philanthropic
programme.

In a forum about Thai policy on CL yesterday, Foundation for Consumers
manager Saree Ongsomwang said health activists and networks of cancer
patients and people living with HIV/Aids were monitoring government
actions on CL.

''We will definitely not agree with the government if the CL policy for
cancer drugs has to be shelved or delayed until the US Trade
Representative finishes reviewing the list of countries receiving export
benefits from the US Generalised System of Preferences in April,'' she said.

Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon, a rural doctor at Na Noi hospital in Nan
province, said the poor would be most affected if the government did not
extend access to cancer drugs through CL.

Cancer drugs were very expensive and available only at private hospitals
and large medical schools in urban areas.

The lack of financial support from the National Health Security Office,
which runs the universal healthcare scheme, made it impossible for the
626 community hospitals across the country to treat cancer patients in
remote areas.

Sarah Ireland, an Oxfam regional director for East Asia, urged the
government to continue with CL for cancer drugs and other life-saving
medicines so that poor people would have greater access to them.
Thailand should be a leader for low and middle-income countries in
exercising its flexibility within the Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (Trips) to widen public access to these
medicines, she added.




--
Philip S. Robertson Jr.
--Consultant -- Human Rights, Labor, Migration & Human Trafficking, &
Development
--Technical Advisor on Migration and Workers Rights, SEARCH
--Chair -- Democrats Abroad Thailand (DAT)
--Coordinator, SAIS Alumni in Siam (SAIS)
mobile phone: (66-85) 060-8406
fax: (66-2) 672-0592
skype: philrobertsonjr
email:  Reaproy@gmail.com
email 2: Reaproy@yahoo.com
blog: www.democratsabroadthailand.blogspot.com

mail address: 289/22 Naratiwat Rachanakarin Soi 24, Building A -- Apt.
1055, Chong Nonsi, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120, THAILAND

"The safest course is to do nothing against one's conscience.  With this
secret, we can enjoy life..."  -- Voltaire





--
Sarah Rimmington
Attorney
Essential Action, Access to Medicines Project
Washington, DC
Tel: (202) 387-8030
Cell: (202) 422-2687
www.essentialaction.org/access/