Thailand’s state drugmaker on Wednesday said it had initiated a defamation suit against the prominent chairman of a private hospital operator over his criticism of its procurement of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) suit accuses Boon Vanasin of providing false information, claiming that the GPO, as coordinator for Moderna vaccines for private hospitals, sought to maximize profit from the public, the GPO said in a statement.
“This damaged the GPO and therefore it is necessary to take legal action,” it said. The lawsuit comes as the government comes under fire for its vaccine policy, which has so far relied on Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Another critic of the strategy, opposition politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, is facing charges of insulting the monarchy after accusing the government of over-reliance on a royal-owned firm to…
