On Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:10:11 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Bruce in Bangkok" wrote in message
.. .
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.

Bruce, I don't know what kind of smoke the Thai government is blowing your
way, but they granted compulsory licenses in the last year or so for
anivirals efavirenz and lopinavir+ritonavir, and for clopidogrel, a heart
medication sold by Bristol Myers Squibb. There were four more in the works
but Abbott Labs responded to the CL for lopinavir+ritonavir (Kaletra) by
announcing they wouldn't register any more drugs in Thailand. The US put
Thailand on its 301 Priority Watch List, citing " further indications of a
weakening of respect for patents, as the Thai Government announced decisions
to issue compulsory licenses for several patented pharmaceutical products."


I don;t know either but up until last week the paper said that the
government was considering action, but as I wrote in another post
today the paper announced that the Government Pharmaceutical
Organization was constructing a factory to make several drugs under
the CL laws (or agreements).

So much for "News" papers.


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