Impact of the World Trade Organization TRIPS Agreement on the pharmaceutical industry in Thailand

• Main Authors: Supakankunti Siripen (Author), Janjaroen Wattana S. (Author), Tangphao Oranee (Author), Ratanawijitrasin Sauwakon (Author), Kraipornsak Paitoon (Author), Pradithavanij Pirus (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: The World Health Organization, 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 0042-9686
• Keywords: Drug industry; Commerce; Drug costs; Legislation, Drug; Patents; Treaties; Thailand; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Vol 79, Iss 5, Pp 461-470 (2001)

The 1994 World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) established minimum universal standards in all areas of intellectual property. It is intended to implement these standards globally through a WTO enforcement mechanism. The present article proposes a strategy for alleviating the potentially negative impact of TRIPS in Thailand in relation to the following: purchasers; prescribers and dispensers; producers; products; price control; patent-to-third-party; parallel imports; power of the customer; patentable new drugs; personnel; and prevention policies. The following TRIPS provisions are pertinent to the pharmaceutical industry in Thailand: the limited term of product and process patents; the conditions of protection; and the broad scope for compulsory licensing and enforcement procedures in the national patent system.