A bright future for biologics in Thailand

In 2002, the Thai government initiated a universal scheme to bring equitable healthcare access to the general public. Under the scheme, hospitals receive per capita funding based on 47 million people. At the outset, funding was approximately $38 per person; now, it is $83. Although per capita funding has more than doubled, the current figure is still low. This budget constraint has led the Thai government to favour generic companies as opposed to originator companies.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA Thailand) defines a biological product as any allergen, antigen, vaccine, hormone, cytokine, enzyme, product derived from stem cells or tissues, human whole blood and plasma derivative, therapeutic serum, immunoglobulin, or monoclonal antibody which is obtained from one of the following procedures: