Cancer drug firms urged to reduce prices by 60 per cent

Cancer drug firms urged to reduce prices by 60 per cent

The Public Health Ministry has urged pharmaceutical firms to reduce their prices of cancer drugs by more than 60 per cent, said Dr Siriwat Tiptaradol, chairman of the negotiating committee for Compulsory Licensing of Patented Drugs. The ministry Monday held a meeting with two pharmaceutical firms - SanofiAventis, which makes docetaxel for treating lung and breast cancer, and Norvartis, which produces imatinib for leukaemia - to negotiate the reduction. SanofiAventis has agreed to reduce its prices by 10 per cent provided the drug is made part of the ministry's national drug list.

The Nation