Thailand Issues More Compulsory Licenses

January 2007 | Product Launch

Angering multinational pharmaceutical firms, Thailand's military-appointed government has issued compulsory licenses for cheap versions of a heart disease drug and a HIV/AIDS medicine, in an effort to reduce spending on pharmaceuticals. The names of the products were not released, but local newspaper reports said they were French firm Sanofi-Aventis' Plavix (clopidogrel) and US-based Abbott Laboratories' Kaletra (lopinavir + ritonavir). BMI is not surprised at the licensing of Kaletra given the extent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, thereby qualifying for "national emergency" provisions of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). However, we are stunned

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