Thailand: Compulsory licenses for some and compromise from Novartis

Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla has approved compulsory licenses on following cancer medicines which would allow Thailand to make or buy generic vesions.
These are:
1) Letrozole, a breast cancer medicine made by Novartis, the breast and lung cancer drug;
2) Docetaxel by Sanofi-Aventis and
3) Roche's Erlotinib, used for treating lung, pancreatic and ovarian cancer.

The Minister had earlier warned of these compulsory licenses, especially for cancer drugs, if the innovator companies did not price their drugs at an affordable level.

Meanwhile, Novartis came up with an offer of providing Imatinib [Gleevec/ Glivec] free to all patients under the universal healthcare scheme as a trade-off for not seeing its patent overridden. With this offer, Minister Mongkol na Songkhla has cancelled the move for compulsory licensing of the imatinib after receiving this last minute offer from Novartis.

Government Pharmaceutical Organisation chairman Vichai Chokewiwat said the deal not to compulsorily license the medication [Imatinib] could be called off if the drug maker ever revoked its philanthropic programme.

Dr Vichai said the ministry had not received a welcome response for the three other drugs. The conditions offered by the patent owners were too complicated.

Thailand has already three issued compulsory licenses earlier for:
Clopidogrel, Lopinavir + Ritonavir heat stable tablets & Efavirenz.
So, a total of SIX Compulsory Licenses.

To see our previous post on the Thailand compulsory licensing, click here.
To see our posts on Imatinib’s Indian saga, click here.