In a country with more than one and a half million HIV-infected people, the Communicable Diseases Control Department uses its 240 million baht budget to provide branded drugs to about 1,500 patients. Not surprisingly, this has stirred the interests of Aids activists.

Last week, according to the Bangkok Post, Senator Jon Ungphakorn lead a protest against the Public Health Ministry in Bangkok to encourage the government to look into importing or producing generic forms of the expensive medicines they provide to less than 1% of HIV-positive Thais.

"These drugs are not patented in Thailand and, therefore, it could not be considered wrong under WTO agreements to manufacture generic drugs or support parallel imports," the Senator was quoted as saying.

If cheaper forms of the same medicines were used, the Communicable Diseases Control Department could provide drug cocktails to over 100,000 people, the group estimates.

The group met with Deputy Health Minister Suraphong Suebwonglee, and asked him to look into the barriers that presently prevent the government from distributing these cheaper drugs.

The protest coincides with the trial between the South African government and a number of pharmaceutical companies over the cost of access to HIV/Aids drugs, most of which are patented in South Africa, if not in Thailand.