[Pharm-policy] WHO supports compulsory licensing of expensive drugs

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://www.bangkokpost.net/160100/160100_News07.html 

This article appeared in the Bangkok Post on January 16, 2000. 
Distributed under Fair-Use.





WHO supports compulsory licensing  of expensive drugs

Local production to benefit HIV patients

 Aphaluck Bhatiasevi

The World Health Organisation has voiced its support for moves to
impose  compulsory licensing for expensive drugs like didanosine (ddI),
which is  accessible to less than 10% of Aids victims in the country.

Speaking after a meeting with representatives of the Network of People
with  HIV/Aids, E B Doberstyn, the WHO Representative to Thailand, said
his  organisation felt that compulsory licensing can be implemented in
the interest  of the public.

 "We recognise that compulsory licensing is one of the ways to approach
this  issue," said Dr Doberstyn, adding that it was legitimate for the
government to  do so because it complies with the Trade Agreement on
Intellectual Property  Rights (Trips) as agreed by the World Trade
Organisation.

 He said the WHO will soon issue a statement regarding its stand on this
issue,  but the decision on whether to enforce compulsory licensing
would depend on  individual countries.

 "We will not write to the Ministry of Public Health or the Thai
government, but  will only issue a paper, stating our stand on the
matter," said Dr Doberstyn.

 Senior ministry officials are still in the process of negotiating with
Bristol Myer Squibb, the sole manufacturer and distributor of the
anti-retroviral drug ddI,  which costs about 47 baht per tablet, a
senior health official said yesterday.

 The official declined to reveal details of the negotiation process,
saying that it  should be a satisfactory one for both the health
officials and the groups  demanding compulsory licensing of the drug.

 But NGOs and Aids activists have insisted that the government should
go  ahead and enforce compulsory licensing on the drug by using Article
51 of  the Intellectual Property Rights Act, which permits state
authorities to do so for  the benefit of the public.

 Saree Ongsomwang of the Foundation for Consumers said local production
under compulsory licensing would reduce the price of ddI to less than 25
baht  per tablet, benefiting a larger number of HIV-positive persons.