The Cost of Living - Thailand

March 2001
Twenty-nine year old Pramote lives in Bangkok and has AIDS. If he'd been able to afford the drugs now routinely prescribed for HIV-positive people in the West, he wouldn't be paralysed and bedridden today. Ninety per cent of the people infected with HIV today live in developing countries, and most don't have access to the drugs that could keep them alive because they are simply too expensive for their national health services. This Life programme investigates what happened when Thailand and South Africa applied to use compulsory licences and parallel importing - practices agreed under World Trade Organisation guidelines - to make their own generic versions of anti-retroviral drugs to halt the AIDS epidemic in their countries.

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News & Politics

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• Thailand
• AIDS
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• drugs
• South
• Africa
• epidemic
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[GottJukrapun]

Due to HIV drugs HIGH cost, Thailand started producing the drug itself which will keep the cost down. However, Western countries had filed lawsuit againest Thailand for copyrightsviolation. Who is the criminal here?

[Buxxby]

Dude how do you know those names? If you think this is what Thailand is about you are truly ignorant

[Ester0009]

same medicine, just diff branding. some people will pay for branded medicine, but for people without money for food, housing and doctor's fees, whatever can keep the, alive is already good. like vitamin c, so many brands around, just diff branding. see how much can one afford?

[NMWMN]

Ansell are the big winners!

[johnson1095]

@GottJukrapun

DUDE, DOWN WITH THE DRUG COMPANY'S AND THEIR "COPYRIGHT LAWS"!!!

[candoyja]

I think it costs little to produce these drugs. If the drugs cost so much, then these pharmaceutical assholes will, even if not asked to do so, disclose the cost. Because it will be a PR suicide to disclose the low cost of drug production, they are not disclosing the cost, citing the reason that the disclosure is not required, which is Bullshit.

[candoyja]

These affected patients should try to have sex with employees and top officials of those corrupt Western drug companies. You know.. to prove a point.

[mannecyberguy]

@FatPigCypris good idea, but HOW will the medical doctors in Thailand be able to produce the generic anti-AIDS drugs, and tell the American drug monopolies to go fuck themselves.

[mannecyberguy]

@GottJukrapun No question, it's the western drug manufacturers who are committing the crimes in the name of profits.

[willberb]

La Roux is much more devistating than HIV.

[FortisConscius]

@bangkapi10240 There is an essential difference between copyright infringement of non-essential clothing and life-saving copyright infringement of a drug. Condoms can of course prevent many cases but what about those that slip through the safety barrier? Condoms are not even 100% effective (99%) so what then for the unlucky few who contract AIDS anyway? And the thousands who suffer already? Your callous approach to the subject is saddening. Pharmacutical companies make excessive profits.

[endthedisease]

Anyone that wants to help with research that goes towards finding better a.i.d.s drugs just visit my channel.

The good thing is that the results of this research is open for public use.