On Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:43:01 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Bruce in Bangkok" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:40:45 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Hawke" wrote in message
...

"Bruce in Bangkok" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:16:38 -0800, "Hawke"
wrote:


GeoLane at PTD dot NET wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 22:07:39 -0700 (PDT), Millwright Ron
wrote:

Snipped


Not in the case of Zestril that I quoted. See the following:

Bruce, I worked in pharmaceutical marketing for four years and A-Z was one
of my clients, fer chrissake. Believe me, your costs have nothing to do with
manufacturing costs. Neither do ours. Yours are based on price controls and
accounting that covers only the marketing and distribution costs in
Thailand. Ours are based on everything they can get out of the market, with
no holds barred. Period.


AstraZeneca is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies,
with a broad range of medicines designed to fight disease in important
areas of healthcare.

Active in over 100 countries with growing presence in important
emerging markets; corporate office in London UK; major R&D sites in
Sweden, the UK and the US.

In nearly all cases, I can buy a medicine cheaper here in Thailand
then in the U.S. and these are imported medicines. If they are made
locally it is about 1/10th the price.

Of course. You're larded with "compulsory licensing." That is, the Thai
government gives your pharma industry a license for pirating. d8-)

Sorry, incorrect. the Thai government is discussing the CL question
with one or two drug companies but there has been no decision.
According to the pharmaceutical department of Chulalongkorn University
(the most prestigious school in the country) all current drugs covered
by copyright or patent are imported from the makers, or their licensed
representatives. (they operate a extremely well stocked pharmacy in
the heart of Bangkok so they are easy to talk to).

But the point of the discussion was my trying to illustrate my
assertion that costs in the U.S. are too high. I used the example of
Zestril simply to point out that

More snipped.

Bruce, you started with an interesting point about manufacturing costs, but
you're barking up the wrong tree to use pharma as an example. There are no
conclusions that can be drawn about relative competitiveness from drug
pricing -- except that it's screwed up so deeply that every country is
different, and even every drug is different.

I think I used the wrong example :-) as I had no intention of
discussing the pharmaceutical industry. My point was, simply, that
costs in the U.S. are too high. Perhaps I should have said something
like "Why, even my medicine for high blood pressure costs less then a
quarter of the U.S. price".


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)