Asia, compulsory licensing

India 2010 2010: India’s intervention to the WTO TRIPS Council: TRIPS plus enforcement trends, 2010-06-10 2011 2011: Karl De Gucht writes Andris Piebalgs on topic of European Union IPR demands on India and other developing countries, 2011-05-28 2011: WTO TRIPS… Continue Reading

Four Department of State cables on Thailand, for Special 301 Review (Years 2009 to 2011)

The following are four US Department of State cables discussing the status of Thailand as regards the USTR Special 301 review. KEI recently received the cables from the US Department of State in response to an earlier FOIA request.

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US department of Commerce heavily redacts FOIA request regarding Thailand compulsory license

What type of leverage has the Obama Administration used to pressure Thailand to prevent the granting of compulsory licenses on drug patents? The US Department of Commerce has just released a FOIA request with 298 pages of documents on this topic. 136 pages of the FOIA are for a Fall 2010 masters theses by Stephanie Tranchevent Rosenberg (pages 36 to 171 of the FOIA). Continue Reading

FOIA document: In 2007, US Ambassador Ralph Boyce was pleased that Abbott withdrew life saving drugs from market in Thailand

In 2007, Thailand was involved in a dispute over the granting of compulsory licenses on medicines, including the patents used for Kaletra, an Abbott drug used in the treatment of AIDS. Kaletra is the brand name for a fixed dose combination of lopinavir and ritonavir (LPV/r) — two drugs invented at Abbott on an NIH grant. In 2007, LPV/r was the preferred combination for protease inhibitor regimes used to treat AIDS. Continue Reading

PhRMA Special 301 submission on Thailand

The following discusses the 2009 PhRMA submission for the USTR Special 301 list on Thailand. Thailand is one of three Asian countries (China, Philippines and Thailand) that were singled out by PhRMA for the harshest treatment. The submission on Thailand covers several topics, including these:

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KEI Letter to Thailand Prime Minister and Health Minister, regarding compulsory licensing decisions

His Excellency Mr. Samak Sundaravej Prime Minister Government House Nakornpratom Rd. Dusit, Bangkok Thailand 10300 His Excellency Mr. Chaiya Sasomsap Minister of Public Health Tiwanont Rd. Talad Kwan District Nontaburi Province 11000 Thailand March 4, 2008 Re: Thailand Compulsory Licenses… Continue Reading

Thailand’s Compulsory Licensing Controversy

Between November 2006 and January 2007, Thailand issued compulsory licenses for two AIDS drugs (efavirnz and the combination of lopinavir+ritonavir) and one antihypertension drug (clopidegrel).  The pharmaceutical industry has vehemently objected to these compulsory licenses, and has sought the US… Continue Reading

Notes from March 16th 2007 U.S. Capitol Briefing on Thailand’s Compulsory Licenses

On Friday, March 16, KEI organized a briefing in the U.S. Capitol on Thailand’s recent compulsory licenses on three drugs; two for HIV/AIDS (Merck’s efavirenz (Stocrin) and Abbott’s lopinavir + ritonavir (Kaletra)) and one for heart disease (Sanofi’s clopidogrel (Plavix)). … Continue Reading