Reinstated GPO board
back in the driver's seat:
Orders shipment of lifesaving drugs from India
By Jon Fernquest
Docetaxel is a drug used to
fight lung and breast cancer.
Taking the drug can mean the difference between life and death for many people.
The patented version costs 25,000 baht per injection.
The generic version from India costs 1,245.
The GPO (Government Pharmaceutical Organisation), the Thai government pharmaceutical manufacturer, was importing these cheaper life-saving drugs under its compulsory licensing programme.
That is, until the whole board was dismissed on the recommendation of Public Minister Chaiya Sasomsab in May.
Led by GPO board chairman Dr. Vichai Chokewiwat, the board petitioned the Administrative Court to have the board reinstated.
The GPO board was reinstated and held their first meeting yesterday.
The first thing that Dr. Vichai did when he returned to work was to place an order to India for the cancer drug Docetaxel, enough to treat 1,000 cancer patients. The quality of the drugs has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Dr Vichai stated that: "Every day that passes is meaningful for patients waiting for medical treatment. We have to work fast."
When Supachai Panitchpakdi, head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), called the 2006 coup a "blessing in disguise" he specifically referred to compulsory licensing:
"He mentioned the increased fiscal transparency that the post-coup government fostered as well as the compulsory licensing of pharmaceuticals that should be resolved first by the WTO before rushing into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US." (Source: Bangkok Post)
For more articles about the fight for compulsory licensing of lifesaving cancer and AIDS drugs in Thailand check out the readbangkokpost archives.
(Source: Bangkok Post, general news, 01-07-08, page 2, APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL temp-link)
Vocabulary:
reinstated
- putting a person back into the position they were removed from
ให้กลับมาดำรงตำแหน่งใหม่อีกครั้ง
back in the driver's seat - back in control again,
making things happen กลับคืนอำนาจ กลับเข้ามาบริหารอีกครั้ง
Docetaxel
- a drug used to fight breast and lung cancer (See Wikipedia)
ยารักษาโรคมะเร็งเต้านมและมะเร็งปอด
X can mean the
difference between Y and Z - if X exists then good result Y,
if not bad result Z (การได้กินยา)
อาจช่วยชีวิตผู้ป่วยได้อย่างมาก
a patent
- ownership rights for an invention (See Wikipedia)
ลิขสิทธิ์
a version of Y - one form of Y different from past
and future forms of Y เวอร์ชั่น
patented version of drug - the expensive version of
the drug available from the large western pharmaceutical corporation (Bigpharma)
ยาที่ผลิตภายใต้ลิขสิทธิ์ (ทำให้มีราคาสูงมาก)
Big Pharma
- drug companies "with revenue in excess of $3 billion, and/or
R&D expenditure in excess of $500 million, and represents the
first 30 or so companies" (See Wikipedia's
list) บริษัทยายักษ์ใหญ่
generic drug,
generic version, generics - a lower priced drug without a
brand name, with the same active ingredients as the original (assumed
to be identical in dose, strength, safety, efficacy, and intended use)
(See Wikipedia)
ยาชนิดเดียวกันกับยาที่จดลิขสิทธิ์แต่่ผลิตด้วยต้นทุนที่ต่ำกว่า
pharmaceutical
- medicines, the industrial production of medicine เกี่ยวกับเภสัชกรรม
GPO (Government Pharmaceutical Organisation) - the
Thai government pharmaceutical manufacturer: องค์การเภสัชกรรม
"The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) is a State enterprise under the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. For 40 years, we have been serving the Thai Public Health with intended mission to manufacture wide range of pharmaceutical, biological, and natural products for domestic [use]...We currently are producing over 200 products including HIV/AIDS drugs and herbal cosmetics in strict adherence to good manufacturing practice and fair prices." (See website and description)
compulsory
- must do it because it is the law ตามกฎหมายบังคับ
compulsory licensing
- when a government forces the holder of a patent to grant use to the
state (See Wikipedia)
ต้องได้รับใบอนุญาต
X dismissed on
the recommendation of Y - Y suggested that X be removed from
his or her job and they are removed ได้รับการสั่งให้ปลดออกจากตำแหน่ง
petition - a formal request for action
to be taken, made to a court of law การยื่นอุทธรณ์
Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)
- the government agency that checks food and drug products for safety
and gives permission for them to be sold องค์ฺการอาหารและยา