Thailand to Implement Compulsory Licensing for Cancer Drugs

Thailand’s Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsab has announced his decision to push forward with compulsory licensing for drugs. Despite protests from industry members such as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PreMA) to implement this decision, Chaiya plans to push forward on this policy.

Chaiya believes that compulsory licensing will save money for the benefit of patients to get access to quality drugs at a cheaper price. Compulsory licensing would allow the country to produce or import generic versions of patented drugs for emergency use. However, opponents believe that this compulsory licensing could end up hurting the country’s trade and eventually affect the economy. In addition, PreMA believes that compulsory licensing should only be used as a last resort when all other options are not viable.