Thai pharma seeks more support to reduce import dependence

Surachai Ruangsuksin, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries' Pharmaceuticals Industry Club, said almost all Thai pharmas are already certified to European standards. This means that Thai-made drugs are of high quality and reliability.

Unfortunately, 65% of all medicines sold in Thailand are imported, despite the fact that some of them can be produced locally, he said.

"We hope to increase the market share of Thai-made drugs from 35% to 50% in the next five years. However, without government support, this expectation cannot be realised," he said.

He explained that hospitals account for approximately 75% of Thailand's medicine market — 65% public hospitals and 10% private — and pharmacies for the remaining 25%.

This means if public hospitals prefer to prescribe more Thai-made drugs, the country's manufacturers would benefit greatly in terms of maintaining their businesses and competitiveness, he said.

 

 

Higher quality
Surachai added that while Thai-made drugs are not cheap when compared to drugs imported from countries such as China and India, Thailand's quality is unquestionably higher.

"This is what I aim to ensure," he said, adding that the public hospital bidding procurement should also prioritise factors other than price and have more fair conditions that allow more parties to participate.

Lalana Setasuban, president of the Thai Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, pointed out that while the kingdom would continue to import extracts and raw materials to manufacture medicine, having the ability to produce its own pharmaceuticals is valuable in strengthening the country's medical health security.

"Medicine is one of the four requirements for human well-being. Demand for pharmaceuticals will only increase as our society ages and new diseases possibly emerge. If Thailand, at the very least, can produce its own drugs, we will be able to mitigate any crisis similar to what we experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic," she said.

Thailand's healthcare system has high potential and is internationally recognised, according to Parichart Cleawplodtook, expert class 10, sales division, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO).

The country was ranked fifth in the world for providing excellent healthcare services and products. Despite high production standards and global recognition for their quality, locally produced pharmaceutical products are limited. One of the primary reasons is that Thailand must import the vast majority of its raw materials from other countries.

 

 

Reduce reliance on imports
She emphasised that in order to strengthen national pharmaceutical security, the country must reduce reliance on imported raw materials, strengthen local capability in downstream and upstream production, and increase self-reliance through research and development, technology, innovation, and efficient production.

She admitted, however, that being independent in raw materials is a long way off.

Hence the focus now should be on research and development, as well as the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and innovative medicines, particularly biopharmaceutical products.

"The GPO has taken numerous actions, such as developing a pandemic vaccine and collaborating with the private sector in the research and development of such critical pharmaceutical products," she said.

One of the major challenges is the registration of products, medicine, cosmetics, and medical substances, says Sirinan Thumtimthed, director of Expert Centre of Innovative Herbal Products - Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR).

As a result, the TISTR has enhanced the non-clinical study lab to meet the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Good Laboratory Practice standards, making the study more reliable and traceable.

"Entrepreneurs and manufacturers can use the test results from this lab to support their product registration in and outside Thailand," she explained.

Furthermore, she said that once the test result was verified, manufacturers were not required to conduct the second test when exporting their products to other countries.

New medicines have also been developed using local herbs and following international manufacturing standards. Such development can directly address Thai consumers' needs while adding value to those products, resulting in higher export value and economic value in the long run, she said.

Meanwhile, Sirinan mentioned the centre's mission to encourage herbal research activities such as extract, quality control, and efficacy and safety studies using international standard testing methods, as the government is promoting the comprehensive use of local herbs in order to increase domestic herb utilisation.

 

 

Region's largest pharma solutions event
Their comments came during a seminar at a press conference for the upcoming "CPHI Southeast Asia 2023”, the region's largest pharmaceutical solutions event, which will be held in July.

Rungphech Chitanuwat, regional portfolio director - Asean, Informa Markets Thailand, the organiser, expected the event to serve as a platform for the industry to communicate with the global market that Thailand-made products are safe and of high quality, and that Thai manufacturers have high capability to manufacture and supply excellent products to the global market.

"The exhibition will provide business opportunities and enable Thai manufacturers to increase their competitiveness in the global market. The event will generate and inject more income into the Thai economy in the second half of this year, while also enhancing the pharmaceutical industry's ability to drive the country's economic growth," she said.

She added that “CPHI South East Asia 2023” will propel the Thai pharmaceutical industry forward and strengthen Thailand's position as a regional medical and healthcare hub. This event would help to build national pharmaceutical security, which would drive long-term economic growth in Thailand, she said.

This year's pharmaceutical exhibition has attracted over 390 companies from over 40 countries worldwide. The event will feature the most recent innovations, exchange of knowledge, and business networking opportunities. The organiser anticipates over 8,000 visitors from around the world.

The event will take place from July 12-14 at Hall 1-3, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.