Activists urge better access to expensive cancer drug

       Health activists have petitioned Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai to help extend medical access to another cancer drug.
       A network of cancer patients led by Saichon Sorntat met Mr Witthaya on Wednesday to ask him to negotiate price reductions with a manufacturer of rituximab, which is used to treat rheum-
       toid and lymphoma cancer.
       The medicine has not been listed under the two major national health care schemes universal health care and social security -which cover most of the Witthaya: Asked to population, mainnegotiate price cuts ly due to its high price of 240,000 baht a year for each course of treatment.
       "About 1,500 cancer patients cannot afford to pay the high price for the medicine and they end up waiting to die,"Ms Saichon said.
       The National Health Security Office (NHSO), overseeing 48 million people,set up a subcommittee to negotiate price reductions with three makers of the drug.Roche offered the lowest price of 27,000 baht a shot.
       That is still very expensive, deputy permanent secretary for public health Siriwat Thiptaradol said.
       "Rich developed nations only pay 0.5%to 0.8% of gross domestic product for rituximab, while a middle-income country like Thailand has to pay 2% to 3% of GDP, which is unfair," he said.
       Dr Siriwat, who is also chairman of the NHSO subcommittee on price negotiations, said the drug could be listed for free treatment under the universal health care scheme if the price was cut to 22,000 baht a shot.
       Mr Witthaya has not decided whether compulsory licensing would be adopted for this drug. But he promised to hold talks with representatives of the drug maker and the NHSO on Monday.
       Rituximab was among dozens of drugs listed for compulsory licensing when Mongkol Na Songkhla was the public health minister in 2006 and 2007. He used the policy to extend access to seven Aids, heart and cancer drugs.