As the row between Thailand and a few big drugmakers, notably Abbott Labs, grows hotter, many other developing nations are watching closely for instructive lessons on how to deal with big pharma. But while the US has been circumspect, at least publicly, one UK minister also appears to be unabashedly in favor of the sort of tactics taken by the Thai government.

During an international conference on access to medicines, Gareth Thomas, who is international development minister, tells Reuters that Western drugmakers should do more to cut prices and must recognise that developing countries have a right to break patents to guarantee access to vital medicines.

“We support, absolutely, the right of developing countries to use the flexibilities of the system when there is a big public health issue,” says Thomas. He declined to comment specifically on the controversy in Thailand, but did say there is a need to do more to cut the price of certain life-saving drugs, particularly AIDS meds.

So far, Thailand’s tough approach is showing resulst. Over the weekend, Abbott agreed to sell the latest version of its AIDS drug Kaletra in Thailand at a discounted rate, reversing a decision two months ago to withhold the new form after the Thai government announced plans to allow sales of generic versions of Kaletra and other drugs. And earlier this month, Abbott offered to slash the cost of the pill by more than half, to $1,000 per patient per year in 40 poor countries.

For his part, Thomas believes there should be more price reductions. “I hope we are going to see more action in terms of lowering prices on second-line ARVs (antiretrovirals) … Many are still simply unaffordable for countries with over-stretched health budgets.”

You can read the Reuters story here.[tags]Compulsory Licensing, Generics, Patents, Thailand[/tags]