E-DRUG: Pharmalot: Activists Deride Pharma For Threatening Thailand
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http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/02/activists-deride-pharma-for-threatening-thailand/
Activists Deride Pharma For Threatening Thailand
February 20th, 2008 12:14 pm By Ed Silverman
A group of activists and academics have written Thailand's new health
minister, Chaiya Sasomsab, to resist pressure from drugmakers and
biotechs to roll back Bangkok's policy of issuing compulsory licenses. A
recent example came when BIO, the biotech trade group, wrote the US
Trade Representative, urging that Thailand be placed on the Foreign
Priority Country list, which is reserved for the most severe offenders
of intellectual property rights. Thailand is already on the rung below,
the Priority Watch list.
"Thailand's review of compulsory licenses on three high-priced cancer
drugs should not be distorted by groundless threats of potential trade
sanctions from the brand-name pharmaceutical industry...PhRMA says it will
push the US Trade Rep to impose trade sanctions if Thailand implements
the licenses and imports low-cost generic meds to provide to mainly poor
Thais within the public health system," according to the groups signing
the letter. And they charge the threat has no basis in law or political
reality. A WTO mission recently noted Thailand's policy is legal.
"The compulsory licenses issued over the past year have shown that
developing countries have lawful policy tools available at their
disposal to overcome patent barriers to making life-saving medicines
accessible. We hope that the government maintains this policy. But
whatever it does should be decided on the merits, not influenced by the
reprehensible but groundless threats from PhRMA," the letter states.
[You can read the letter at
www.essentialaction.org/http://www.essentialaction.org/access/index.php?/archives/114-Thailands-Compulsory-Licensing-Review-Should-Not-be-Distorted-by-PhRMA.html#extended]
Organizations endorsing the letter include Essential Action, American
Jewish World Service, the American Medical Student Association, Global
AIDS Alliance, Health GAP, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), Oxfam
America, and the Student Global AIDS and Trade Justice Campaigns.
--
Sarah Rimmington
Attorney
Essential Action, Access to Medicines Project
Washington, DC
Tel: (202) 387-8030
Cell: (202) 422-2687
www.essentialaction.org/access/