Way #6: Increasing access to medications

In the article I mentioned in the last post, the author states the following as one way to increase access:

If antiretroviral therapy roll-out does not move rapidly and the main hindrance is cost of medications, then emergency suspension of relevant drug patents and authorization of regional generic production should be initiated.

I first thought that was infeasible, considering the power that pharmaceuticals have, but then I found a Reuters article from today stating that Thailand has done exactly that!

Thailand's army-appointed government has approved generic, copycat versions of Kaletra, an HIV-AIDS drug, and Plavix, a blockbuster treatment for heart disease, in a move likely to outrage international pharmaceutical companies.

"We have to do this because we don't have enough money to buy safe and necessary drugs for the people under the government's universal health scheme," Mongkol said.