Article
Thais protest patent bid for AIDS drug
Hundreds of Thais living with HIV/AIDS rallied against drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on Monday to protest a patent application they say would raise the cost of a key life-saving drug...London-based GSK, which is not dropping its patent request, said Thailand could negotiate for a voluntary licence to produce a generic version of the drug. GSK also offered preferential pricing for middle-income nations such as Thailand, said GSK spokeswoman Alice Hunt..."If somebody legitimately wants to manufacture and sell Combivir, all they need to do is pick up a phone and talk to us about getting a voluntary licence," she said.