Thailand Blacklisted from US Drug Company

Bangkok BBC News reporter, Jonathan Head reported that Abbott Laboratories, one of the world's biggest award winning pharmaceutical companies, has announced that it will stop licensing any new drugs in develops for sale in Thailand. This announcement comes at the heels of the Thai government's decision to break the patent on Kaletra, a drug for treating HIV/AIDS.

In order to cut the cost of healthcare, which is offered for free in the country, Thai officials claim that their country will either make or import cheap generic versions of three patented drugs.

Going around pharmaceutical companies is actually allowed in certain situations for poorer countries under World Trade Organization rules. Developing nations are allowed to issue compulsory licenses to make inexpensive generic versions of branded drugs if faced with a health crisis.

For treatment of the estimated 600,000 living with HIV/AIDS, Thailand, a country with a per capita income of about $2,742 - issued WTO - compulsory licenses to allow government use of Kaletra, and Efavirenz.

Part of Abbott's company promise on their website states, "We recognize that as a leading provider of innovative health care products, we have a unique responsibility and opportunity to ensure people have access to them - whether they are among the poor and underprivileged or are victims of natural disasters. We're determined to do our part through creative and varied social programs."

Though most large companies have accepted this idea of basic anti-retrovial drugs, cutting the death toll of HIV/AIDS, Abbott officials believe that Thailand has crossed the line with its compulsory licenses for two newer HIV treatments and a heart drug.

Believing this to be an act of theft of their intellectual property and because of Thailand's lack of negotiation, Abbot Laboratories has decided to refuse to sell any new drugs it develops to Thailand.

According to Wikipedia.org, this controversy over Kaletra is not new for Abbott. In 2006, many organizations such as Student Global AIDS Campaign and Doctors Without Borders, protested at Abbott's offices and laboratories across the US, demanding that the company actively participate in registering Kaletra in developing countries, to create affordable prices, establish a pediatric version, and to create open licenses to allow for generic versions to be made for those areas the company labels as "unprofitable."

BBC News' Head reports that if other large pharmaceutical companies follow in the footsteps of Abbott Laboratories, patients in Thailand will pay dearly, and may find themselves deprived of vital treatments in the future.