In an effort to break the impasse over compulsory licenses issued by the Thai military government, Sanofi-Aventis is offering to provide a “special quota” of 3.4 million Plavix pills for 34,000 Thais who can’t afford the bloodthinner.

The gesture was made during a five-hour meeting in which Thai health officials offered 0.5 percent of the revenue generated by generic versions of medicines the government will make available through compulsory licenses. The others are AIDS meds sold by Merck and Abbott.

Not surprisingly, nothing was decided. Thai officials want to make sure they really get the same Plavix, and not a low-grade version. And the drugmakers demurred, saying they need to check with headquarters, although 0.5 percent probably doesn’t sound overwhelming.

Interestingly, Sanofi is going about this differently than Abbott, which is playing hardball with threats to stop selling new meds in Thailand. That decision is generating calls for boycotts and negative publicity, which Abbott doesn’t appear equipped to handle.

“The best way to find solutions to difficult health care challenges is to reject confrontation and engage in constructive dialogue with a view to increasing private and public sector partnership,” Fabrice Baschiera, general manager of Sanofi-Aventis in Thailand, said in a statement.

Perhaps this is a coordinated strategy by Big Pharma: Abbott plays bad cop, Sanofi plays good cop, and the Thai military government is left wondering. Any bets on the next move?

Further reading in….
The Bangkok Post;
and Reuters.
[tags]Abbott Laboratories, Merck, Patents, Sanofi-Aventis, Thailand[/tags]