Oxfam calls on Abbott to reconsider move to stop marketing new drugs in Thailand |
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Published
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Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:48
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BANGKOK (XFN-ASIA) - UK-based charity and international aid agency Oxfam has called on US drugmaker Abbott Laboratories to reconsider its move last week to stop marketing new drugs in Thailand in protest at the government's decision to override the patent on Abbott's AIDS drug Kaletra.'Patients must be the primary concern for both pharmaceutical companies and governments,' Yowalak Thiarachow, head of Oxfam in Thailand, said in a statement.'Abbott is playing a nasty game to intimidate the government of Thailand for taking actions to lower the costs of medicines for Thai people.'Chicago-based Abbott last week announced that it would not bring seven new drugs to Thailand in protest, including a new version of Kaletra as well as cutting-edge antibiotics and painkillers.Oxfam said the move denied Thai people access to treatment for heart disease, kidney failure, blood pressure, and HIV/AIDS.'It is outrageous that Abbott and other companies seem prepared to gamble with people's lives over disputes over profits,' Yowalak said.'We call on Abbott Laboratories to seek a reasonable solution, rather than abandoning sick people in Thailand,' she added.Thailand says it needs generic drugs to make treatment affordable to the public. The health minister told AFP last week that about 500,000 Thais are infected with HIV, but fewer than 10 pct can afford to buy Kaletra.afp/km
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Medical charity MSF slams Abbott's decision not to sell new drugs in Thailand 