HEALTH
APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL
Health officials and activists have been keeping a close watch on attempts by multinational pharmaceutical firms to meddle with the national drug and public health policies.
Their concerns follow reports that multinational drug firms have tried to lobby Deputy Public Health Minister Wicharn Meenchainant to have their representatives sit on the national drug committee, and its two sub-panels responsible for developing essential national drug lists and promoting the proper use of medicines.
The committee, chaired by Public Health Minister Chavarat Charnweerakul, oversees the list of drugs deemed essential to the health of Thai people.
The multinational firms' move was, however, blocked at the committee's meeting on Thursday.
Mr Wicharn eventually made no change to the composition of the 34-member panel, made up largely of academics and experts from the non-business sector, said a source inside the committee.
Mr Wicharn yesterday declined to comment on the matter.
The lobbying was seen by some health policy experts as the latest attempt by multinational pharmaceutical companies to get involved in the state policy to extend public access to affordable essential drugs during the term of the current government.
The interim Surayud Chulanont government, appointed by the Sept 19, 2006 coup-makers, announced a policy on compulsory licensing to bypass the patents of seven Aids, heart and cancer drugs.
The move upset pharmaceutical giants holding the patents of those medicines.
In May, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej set up a joint committee to seek a mechanism for sustainable medicinal access.
The panel is made up of the permanent secretaries of Public Health, Commerce and Foreign Affairs ministries, as well as representatives of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing Association (PReMA) and health activists.
However, this committee has come under criticism as only representatives from multinational drug companies had been invited to join the panel, while local drug firms were left out.
In July, members of the ruling People Power party and Bangkok councillors from the party, instead of ministerial experts, were appointed by Mr Wicharn to chair 12 working groups of the joint committee.
The deputy health minister claimed they had volunteered to monitor various projects at the ministry without receiving any remuneration.
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