News / Business
Thailand issues license to manufacture generic version of Efavirenz; snubs Merck AIDS drug monopoly: NewsTarget.com
Thailand announced last week that because of rising prices of foreign-made HIV/AIDS drugs, it would issue a five-year license to manufacture an inexpensive generic version of Merck & Co.'s Efavirenz drug.
Though Merck -- which holds the patent on Efavirenz -- criticized the military Thai government's decision to make its own cheaper version of the anti-retroviral drug, health advocates and AIDS activists commended the Health Ministry.
The Thai government -- headed by the military after a September coup to oust former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- declared a "national emergency" under World Trade Organization rules that allow governments to issue compulsory licenses to manufacture patented drugs without consent from the patent holder. Merck will receive a royalty of 0.5 percent on sales of its generic version of the drug, which will cost half what Merck charged for Efavirenz.
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