Every Now and Then...

There is good news. I ran across this article the other day and was hopeful. The Thai government has taken on Big Pharma and may be winning. From BBC News:

The Thai government's decision to bypass the patents on two Aids drugs and one heart drug, so it can offer them to all Thai citizens, is a bold move, which has put the country on a collision course with the big pharmaceutical firms.

Affordable ARVs are now available to tens of thousands of Thais - in fact many do not pay anything at all for them, as they are provided by the government's universal healthcare scheme or by HIV/Aids organisations.

This is possible because of Thailand's decision to make cheap, generic copies of ARVs at a fraction of the cost of the branded drugs.

That is fantastic. Healthcare should be seen as a right not as a privilege only the rich can afford. The big Pharmaceutical companies make a huge profit playing games with the lives of people all over the world that cannot afford the overpriced medications. For years the companies have found and exploited loop holes to keep from letting their expired patents onto the market, therefore disallowing cheaper generics to be made. Now, they are at the other end of a legal loophole and they are whining like babies.

Suddenly Thailand, long seen as a loyal trading partner of the US, has seen its image transformed into that of a violator of intellectual property rights.

Its decision has been condemned by the pharmaceutical industry, but applauded by non-governmental organisations campaigning for wider access to affordable medicines.

Actually what Thailand has done is completely legal under international trade regulations.

Way to go Thailand. Also, I think that we here in the states should be ashamed that a little country like Thailand has universal healthcare and we don't. As the only industrialized country that doesn't have universal healthcare of some type or another, America is falling behind other countries in regards to the health and well being of it's citizens. We are no longer number one in any aspect of health care. It really is sad that we have been tricked by the wealthy business class and politicians of this country to give up our health so that they can continue to receive tax breaks and rake in windfall profits every quarter. Meanwhile, it is becoming harder and harder for the average person to even afford insurance and if they can, they can't afford the medications. Good health should be a right.