With a strong intention to ensure that the Thai citizens can access to life-saving medicines at the affordable prices, the Thai government decided
to issue compulsory licenses on seven essential drugs needed for the treatment of AIDS, cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
Compulsory licensing (CL) is a legal and rightful mechanism, in compliance with the internatonal trade agreement and the national patent law, that can
help thousands of poor people able to access to affordable essential medicines effectively.
However, the multinational drug companies have given distorted information about CL the public endlessly. As another example, there was an article
posted in the opinion and editorial section of South Florida Sun-Sentinel, attacking the compulsory license use by the developing country governments.
Here is the debate in the newspaper around the CL issuance between Peter Pitts and Robert Weissman, which will give readers another perspective
around the issue and the hidden agenda behind the article.
Peter Pitts is presidient of the Center of Medicine in the Public Interest and a former FDA associate commissioner. Robert Weissman is director of Essential Action, a public health advocacy group based in Washington D.C. |
