BANGKOK, May 15 (Reuters) - Thailand will not override international drug patents if big pharmaceutical companies offer prices below those charged by generic drug producers, Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said on Tuesday. "If companies agree to reduce the price of their drugs below generic ones, we will not enforce compulsory licensing," Mongkol told reporters in a teleconference call from Geneva, where he attended a World Health Organisation meeting. Previously, Mongkol had said Thailand's right to override patents through compulsory licences and import or make cheaper medicines was non-negotiable. His comments came a day after talks with foreign drug makers in Bangkok failed to reach a deal on the price of two HIV/AIDS drugs and a heart medicine targeted for licences. Abbott Laboratories, which makes the HIV/AIDS drug Kaletra, refused to budge on its offer of $1,000 per patient per year for a heat-stable version of the drug, Thai officials said. Aluvia is badly needed in tropical Thailand because it does not require refrigeration like Kaletra, eliminating the need for costly cold storage. Abbott recently cut its price for Kaletra and Aluvia to $1,000 per patient per year in 40 low- and middle-income countries, but Thailand says it is still too expensive. Siriwat Thiptharadol, head of the drug negotiating committee, said it would continue to press for lower prices at the next meeting on June 1. "I have asked Abbott twice if they could make the price even lower, but they insisted that it was a very low price that they sell to developing countries," Siriwat told reporters. Abbott has not commented on the negotiations.
