[Ip-health] Thai COC urges govt to stall CLs because European trade & investment may be impacted

[Sarah Rimmington]

February 20, 2008
Chamber of Commerce urges Govt to stall CL
http://nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30065884

The Chamber of Commerce of Thailand Tuesday expressed concerns that
Thailand's enforcement of compulsory licensing (CL) would affect the
country's benefits from the European Union's generalised system
preference (GSP) and thus propose the government to stall the CL.

Chamber of Commerce vice-chairman, Buntoon Wongseelashote said that they
were concerned about people's access to medicines but on the other they
also fear the loss in exporting goods, which involved million people
working in exported goods' production. He urged that the government
should help subsidise the purchase of expensive medicines and left the
CL as the last resort to give people access to drugs.

He expressed that Thailand's enforcement of CL for three cancer drugs
might affect the Thai investments and trades with the EU members because
the three pharmaceutical companies holding patents for the drugs are
based in Europe.

The Nation

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