[Ip-health] IHT: Head of Thailand's FDA resigns after one week

[Judit Rius Sanjuan]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/03/asia/AS-GEN-Thailand-Drug-Patents.php

Head of Thailand's Food and Drug Administration resigns after one week
The Associated Press
Monday, March 3, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand: The recently appointed head of Thailand's Food and
Drug Administration resigned Monday amid controversy over the new
government's plan to review a policy of overriding patents on several
expensive cancer-fighting drugs.

Chatree Banchuen was named secretary general of the FDA last week,
making him the government's chief negotiator with multinational drug
companies over pricing and licensing terms.

Chatree said he decided to resign because he felt "uncomfortable with
the politics," explaining that critics had brought up old, unproven
allegations linking him to corruption in a computer procurement
project in 2003. He called the allegations "politically motivated and
groundless," without elaborating.

Chatree's predecessor, Siriwat Thiptharadon, was transferred to an
inactive post last Tuesday by the new government of Prime Minister
Samak Sundaravej. Siriwat called his transfer unfair, charging it was
because he supported compulsory licensing of drug patents.

Compulsory licensing is intended to make some drugs more affordable by
taking away the patent holder's ability to control the drug's price, a
benefit of being a drug's exclusive supplier. International trade
rules allow a government to issue a compulsory license to manufacture
a generic version of a drug only in case of a national public health
emergency.

Siriwat was the architect of the government's policy leading to the
issuing of compulsory licenses on Jan. 4 for four cancer-fighting drugs.

In the past two years, the Thai government has also issued compulsory
licenses for several drugs used to treat AIDS and heart disease,
drawing criticism from companies holding patents on the drugs.

The drug companies dispute whether the circumstances in Thailand
qualify for such licenses.

Newly appointed Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsup said Monday the
ministry will review the licensing policy on the cancer-fighting
drugs, while ensuring patients have affordable access to the medicines.

He said that if negotiations fail to get drug companies to lower their
prices, compulsory licensing would be maintained.

Chaiya earlier said the government planned to review the drug
licensing policy because U.S. drug manufacturers might ask Washington
to apply trade sanctions against Thailand.

The four drugs issued compulsory licenses on Jan. 4 are Novartis'
Imatinib and Letrozole, Sanofi-Aventis' Docetaxel, and Roche's
Erlotinib.

Novartis AG and Roche Holding AG are Swiss, and Sanofi-Aventis SA is
French.



Judit Rius Sanjuan
Attorney at Knowledge Ecology International
www.keionline.org / www.cptech.org
Phone: +1.202.332.2670, x18
Email: judit.rius@keionline.org