The Rural Physicians Society (RDS) wants the government to end the monopoly on antiviral drugs, to ensure the country has enough to treat Covid-19 patients and bring down the price.
The RDS has proposed that the monopolies on favipiravir, molnupiravir and paxlovid be scrapped as well as the private sector be permitted to import these antiviral drugs.
In a Facebook submit on Tuesday, the RDS said, “The government gave a monopoly to the Federal government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) to produce and acquire favipiravir and kept promoting its dream that will Thailand will generate the antiviral tablets and have enough supplies for hospitals. The monopoly was later extended to cover molnupiravir and paxlovid, causing a shortage of antiviral drugs to combat the coronavirus condition.
“In fact, there is no worldwide shortage of the antiviral drugs, but Asia is facing the shortage because of monopolies, ” The RDS said. “If the Public Health Ministry simply issues an statement ending the GPO’s monopolies, the problem will be instantly solved.
“This is the same lesson as Covid-19 vaccines, that the government gave a monopoly to the GPO, causing a shortage of shot. Even though the private sector wanted to import Moderna vaccine, they could not really do so because of the monopoly. Stopping monopolies will certainly end the drug shortage. ”
The RDS said the GPO produced small amounts of favipiravir and shifted to importing the particular drug as it has been cheaper. The RDS asked why the Public Health Ministry needed to prohibit the personal sector from adding the antiviral drugs.
Enabling private firms to import favipiravir and molnupiravir would ultimately lead to cheaper costs and tackle the shortage, the society said.
The society earlier warned that the availability of favipiravir was operating out amid rising Covid-19 infections.
On July 15, the GPO insisted that it was continuing t make daily deliveries associated with favipiravir to open public hospitals and wellness services nationwide.