Thailand: Generic medicines save lives

Naleenart is HIV-positive but she was lucky to get treatment and advice when she was pregnant that reduced the risk of passing the virus to her child. Thailand was one of the first developing countries to use a World Trade Organization agreement on intellectual property rights to bring down costs and get cheaper medicines to more people.

Naleenart is HIV-positive but she was lucky to get treatment and advice when she was pregnant that reduced the risk of passing the virus to her child.  Her daughter had her first HIV test at just two months after birth and took the second test two months later to confirm the diagnosis.

Thankfully she tested negative. Without the treatment Naleenart received, the result could have been different.It might seem normal for Naleenart to have the treatment that could save her daughter's life. In fact, getting the right medicines to people to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS is incredibly difficult in many poor countries.  Big pharmaceutical companies patent crucial medicines and sell them as branded products at high prices. This makes it harder for people in Thailand to access the medicines they need. And it means that the Thai national health programs that deliver basic AIDS drugs to people who need them cannot afford these branded medicines. In December 2006, Thailand was one of the first developing countries to use a World Trade Organization agreement on intellectual property rights to bring down costs and get cheaper medicines to more people.  Thailand used the Agreement to get cheaper generic versions of Anti-retro virals (ARVs); medicines that slow down HIV and give people living with HIV longer lives. With more than one million people in Thailand living with HIV, this kind of treatment is vital.By using generic versions of drugs, the Thai government will save more than $100 million in the next five years, and will be able to treat an additional 100,000 HIV-positive people.However, the 2006 case sparked controversy throughout the world. Powerful pharmaceutical firms accused the Thai government of breaching drug patents and undermining their creativity and innovation. These companies have put Thailand under pressure as a result of their fight to get cheaper medicines to its people. For example, one drug company retaliated by stopping the introduction of seven new drugs in Thailand.  The Thai government is living up to its responsibility to provide health care for all people, and doing a great job to make sure that poor people in Thailand can get the medicines they need. However, over 8000 Thais have built resistance or have intolerable side effects to the specific types of ARVs Thailand can now offer. This means that more advanced medicines are needed. Again, these advanced drugs are only available as expensive brand-name drugs. Which means more costly and time consuming battles are awaiting Thailand's government if it is to deliver treatment to all its people living with HIV.There is more to do in Thailand, and more to do around the world. But Thailand should be applauded for its efforts. Thousands of its people do have treatment, and Thailand has stood up for fairer rules that benefit the poorest people.