The Reform of Drug Patent System in Thailand

Drug patent system has a direct impact on the health care cost and the access of the drugs of people. Previously, the drug patent system in Thailand encounters the problems both efficiency and quality of patent approval. This study aims to analyze the problems and to prepare the proposals for reforming the drug patent system. The In depth-interview and Ethnographic Delphi Futures Research (EDFR) were used. The sample composed of 11 experts, involved with the patent system. The results showed that the expert group agrees that the drug patent system must have balance between protecting the intellectual property and protecting the people’s benefit of public health, and must be able to utilize the patent document information for developing domestic pharmaceutical industry. The experts agree in 6 issues in proposals for reforming the patent system, including improvement of law/regulations, enhancing of the efficiency of the patent approval system, a quality raise of considering drug patents, a patent database improvement, promoting of utilizing the patent system and developing the efficient system to protect public benefit.