To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com.
On 5 May 2021, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) of
Thailand rejected a Thai patent application for a granulated powder
tablet containing 6-fluoro-3-hydroxy-2-pyrazinecarboxamide, also
known as Favipiravir, which is a drug used to treat viral
infections including COVID-19. Favipiravir has been used in many
countries including Thailand to treat COVID-19 patients.
With the spiking numbers of COVID-19 infections, demand for
Favipiravir has soared with fears of shortage. As Favipiravir can
currently only be imported into the country, Thailand aims to
establish a production hub for the Favipiravir tablets to meet
Strong economic indicators cheer global investors
published : 8 May 2021 at 04:00
1
Recap: Global shares headed higher on Friday as US futures and commodity prices advanced ahead of jobs data that was expected to cap a series of strong economic reports. Forecast-beating Chinese trade figures also lifted sentiment.
The SET index moved in a range of 1,551.42 and 1,589.21 points this week before closing yesterday at 1,585.03, up 0.12% on the week, in daily turnover averaging 104.1 billion baht.
Retail investors were net buyers of 9.41 billion baht. Foreign investors was net sellers 6.02 billion baht, brokers sold 2.4 billion and institutional investors offloaded 997.75 million baht worth of shares.
Newsmakers: Pharmaceutical firms have attacked a US-backed proposal to temporarily waive patent protection for Covid vaccines, saying it could threaten future innovations and would not speed up production as Washington claims. Germany also opposes the idea.
To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com.
With the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand becoming more
severe and widespread, travel restrictions and social distancing
measures may prevent applicants for patents, petty patents, and
design patents from submitting documents or amendments by the
required deadline. In order to ease the burden on applicants, the
Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP)
has issued a notification, effective on April 16, 2021, extending
the deadline for submission of documents and amendments in response
to office actions with the DIP.
According to the notification, any office action deadline which
DIP rejects bid to patent Covid treatment
2
published : 6 May 2021 at 04:44 Vuttikrai: Free for all to produce
The Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) has rejected a request to patent the anti-viral drug Favipiravir which is being administered to patients with few if any Covid-19 symptoms.
Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, the department director-general, ruled that the request by a manufacturer to patent the drug in its tablet form did not constitute an advanced invention under the 1979 Patent Act.
The applicant was allowed to submit additional paperwork but still fell short of qualifying for the patent, he said.
Mr Vuttikrai said nobody could claim exclusive rights to produce or sell Favipiravir in Thailand and both the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and any private company in Thailand were free to produce it.
Green light for local favipiravir production
4
published : 5 May 2021 at 17:18 Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, director-general of the Department of Intellectual Property.
The Department of Intellectual Property has rejected the developer of the drug favipiravir s latest patent application, paving the way for local production of the antiviral medication now widely used to treat Covid-19 patients.
DIP director-general Vuttikrai Leewiraphan said on Wednesday that the department rejected the patent application after finding it presented no new innovation.
Therefore, no one monopolised favipiravir in Thailand and the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) and other producers of Thai generic drugs could produce the drug for local use, he said.