More Filipinos buying generic drugs DOH

By Anna Valmero INQUIRER.net First Posted 17:19:00 09/25/2009 Filed Under: Health, Pharmaceuticals

MANILA, Philippines - Six out of 10 Filipinos are opting for generic medicines over more expensive branded counterparts paving the way for healthy competition in the local pharmaceutical industry, according to Health secretary Francisco Duque III. Duque said more Filipinos are buying generic-branded medicines that are up to 80 percent cheaper. Generic drugs are quality copies of original or innovator medicines developed by major pharmaceutical firms. In the Philippines, a company that develops a particular medicine has 20 years of exclusive rights to produce and sell that product. Once this period expires, other companies can make quality copies and sell them at a lower price, as stated under Republic Act 6675 or the Generics Act of 1998. This emerging generation of wise consumers is growing and has prompted a reduction in prices in medicines such as paracetamol and amoxicillin, among others, Duque said. As part of the Generics Awareness month celebration, DOH signed an agreement with the Cancer Warriors Foundation to invest P20 million for the purchase of generic anti-cancer medicines for children with leukemia through PITC-Pharma, which offered the drug at a price five times cheaper than innovator counterparts. Duque encouraged physicians to prescribe to patients generic drugs to remove the misconception that generics are not as effective as branded ones. Some generic drug manufacturers put brands on their products to capitalize on this brand mentality but actually, 13,500 Botika ng Barangay (translated to Village Pharmacy) outlets nationwide sell the same quality generic drugs as low as P0.50 or P1 per tablet. Its amazing that many of our countrymen do not know that what they are really using are generic drugs. For example, the generic medicine paracetamol can be bought as Biogesic, Tempra, Calpol or as genericonly the brands and price differ but they have the same quality, said Duque. If more doctors prescribe generic medicines and more people use them, these will further drive down medicine prices and make medicine more accessible especially for the poor, Duque added.

To recognize generic medicine companies and their products, DoH, together with partner agencies, is hosting the first Philippine Generics Exposition in Megatrade Hall 1, 5th floor SM Mega Mall from Friday to Saturday.

Arroyo signs order for 5 cheaper drugs

. Cebu Daily NewsFirst Posted 10:36:00 07/29/2009Filed Under: Laws, Medicines, Pharmaceuticals
y
REPRINT THIS ARTICLE ADVERTISEMENT

MANILAGood news for consumers. Prices of five essential medicines will be slashed by half starting Aug. 15. These are the anti-hypertensive drug amlodipine, the anti-cholesterol drug atorvastatin, the antibiotic/antibacterial drug azithromycin and the anti-neoplastics/anti-cancer drugs cytarabine and doxorubicin. President Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order 821, which reduced by 50 percent the prices of five essential medicines whose prices their manufacturers have refused to voluntarily bring down. The EO listed the maximum drug retail price (MDRP) for these five medicines. The order was signed by Arroyo on July 27 but was released only yesterday. The reduction of the prices of these drugs and medicines shall commence on Aug. 15, 2009 and shall be fully implemented by Sept. 15, 2009, said the order. It said the list of the medicines included MDRP and their corresponding prices will be reviewed by the Department of Health (DOH) three to six months after the effectivity of the order or as often as necessary by the Secretary of Health. From now until Aug. 15, a transition period will require appropriate

packaging, labeling and disposition of existing inventory, the President ordered. After Aug. 15, the order and price ceiling will be strictly enforced regardless of extent of existing inventory and compliance with packaging and labeling requirements. Price differentials shall be shouldered by the manufacturer/trader or importer of the drug. Last week, pharmaceutical companies bowed to government pressure to reduce by 50 percent the prices of 16 other essential medicines which the DOH has also found to be excessive. These are medicines for hypertension, diabetes, common bacterial infections, amoebiasis (a leading cause of diarrhea) and cancers (such as leukemia which is the top killer pediatric cancer). Drug companies also offered to voluntarily reduce the prices of 22 other medicines that were not included in the list recommended for price ceiling. But the drug companies refused to give in to the DOH's appeal for a 50-percent price cut on the other five medicines in the DOH's list. Republic Act 9502 or the so-called cheaper medicines law which was signed in June last year allows the President, upon the recommendation of the DOH, to impose a price ceiling on medicines in case market competition fails to curb exorbitant drug prices. The EO said the DOH and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) included in the MDRP list those medicines that are sold at much higher prices here compared to their international prices; those medicines that do not have healthy competition from viable generic counterparts; those medicines where the innovator product is the most expensive yet most prescribed or bought in the market, and those medicines that account for the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the country. The MDRP shall be imposed in all retail outlets whether public or private, including drugstores, hospitals and hospital pharmacies,

health maintenance organizations, convenience stores and supermarkets. The new prices will also serve as the ceiling for the procurement of such drugs by all government hospitals and government agencies including the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. The new prices shall also serve as the ceiling for reimbursement by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System. The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), composed of drug companies, said it will abide by the EO but warned of long-term negative consequences. With the signing of the EO, PHAP members will abide by the law and the guidelines set out in the EO. However PHAP regrets that price control for certain (drug) molecules has been imposed since it believes that the same result could be achieved through free market competition, PHAP said in a statement. PHAP asserts that price control may deliver some short-term benefits but the long-term negative consequences not only on the pharmaceutical industry but in other industries must be considered. If price adjustments do not result in market expansion, then affected companies will have to study options to remain viable, it warned. The group insisted that the MDRP is not the best approach since even at drastically reduced prices, most of these medicines will remain inaccessible to the poor who live on an income of less than P100 a day. PHAP proposes that a longer term solution be implemented that considers healthcare reform, including adequate healthcare financing through PhilHealth, infrastructure building and training of healthcare providers in the rural provinces, it said. Dr. Robert So, program manager of the DOH's National Drug Policy, said the EO reflects initial efforts to bring down the prices of

medicines under the cheaper medicines law regime. If the pharmaceutical companies won't work with us and won't impose fair prices where we would not be on the losing end, we can always use the MDRP when needed, he said. The MDRP is a reserve instrument. We're not going to abuse our discretion. We'll only use it as a last resort, he added.
Boticas want rebate for existing stocks DRUGSTORES in Cebu are willing to comply with Executive Order 821 but they want a rebate from drug suppliers for their existing stocks, according to the president of the Cebu Pharmacist Association. It is not a problem to comply as long as drugstores will not be at the losing end. We should get a rebate from drug companies on medicines that have long been delivered and paid for,said Robinson Uy, general manager of La Nueva Pharmacy, which has six outlets in Cebu City. Since drugstores have already paid for stocks of these drugs, he said they would suffer a loss with a 50-percent discount. Boticas, especially the smaller ones, pay for stocks upon delivery. We are also worried. We are scared that the time will come that the government will force us and we will be operating at a loss, he added. The Cebu Pharmacists Association has 700 members. However Cebu has only around 500 drugstores because some pharmacists are not operating drugstores. Uy said they have to rely on their national organization to negotiate with the multi-national drug companies. But so far, multi-national companies did not commit any rebate although some reportedly volunteered to do so, he said. Until an inventory is completed, Uy said they could not give specific figures with Aug. 15 still about two weeks away and medicines being sold daily. He said the new government policy to lower prices of essential medicines would benefit consumers . Anti-hypertension drugs, one of those on the list, are in strong demand, he said. Five Essential Medicines Under the EO, the maximum price for the following medicines are: Amlopidine 2.5mg tablet P9.60; 5mg tablet P22.85;

10mg tablet P38.50 Atorvastatin 10mg film-coated tablet P34.45; 20mg film-coated tablet P39.13; 40mg film-coated tablet P50.50; 80mg film-coated tablet P50.63 Amlodipine besilate 5mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 10mg tablet P45.75 Amlodipine besilate 5mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 20mg tablet P66.25 Amlodipine besilate 5mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 40mg tablet P84.42 Amlodipine besilate 5mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 80mg tablet P89.99 Amlodipine besilate 10mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 10mg tablet P51.13 Amlodipine besilate 10mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 20mg tablet P73.25 Amlodipine besilate 10mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 40mg tablet P91.79 Amlodipine besilate 10mg+ Atorvastatin calcium 80mg tablet P91.79 Azithromycine 250mg tablet P108.50; 200mg/5mL powder for suspension (15mL) P427.50; 200mg/5mL powder for suspension (22.50mL) P638.00; 500 mg tablet P151.43; 500mg vial for injection P992.50; and 2g granules P468.00 Cytarabine 100mg/mL ampul/vial (IV/SC) P240.00; 100mg/mL ampule/vial (IV/SC) 5mL or 500mg vial P900.00; 100mg/mL ampule/vial (IV/SC) 10mL or 1g vial P1800.00; 20mg/mL 5mL ampule/vial for injection P1980.00. Doxorubicin 10mg powder vial for injection P1465.75; 50mg powder vial for injection P2265.74.

(UPDATE 2) Arroyo signs cheaper medicines law

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez INQUIRER.net First Posted 10:38:00 06/06/2008 Filed Under: Congress, Legislation, Laws, Consumer Issues,Government, Health, Medicines

STA. CRUZ, Laguna -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed here on Friday a new law that aims to bring down the price of medicines by encouraging more competition in the local market through parallel importation of cheaper but quality drugs. Republic Act 9502, or the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008," also seeks to help the local generics industry by amending the Intellectual Property Code and strengthening the regulatory powers of the Bureau of Food and Drugs against substandard medicine. "We all know about the importance of the Generics Law before but it was incomplete, and now with the cheaper medicines and quality bill we have completed, I believe, our legislative reforms in bringing affordable medicines to the people," Arroyo said in a brief message after signing the new law She directed the Department of Health (DoH) to come up with the implementing rules and regulations within 120 days. The agency, for its part, said the new law would allow it to expand a program to deliver cheap medicines to the grassroots. "With the signing of this Act, the DoH is put into high gear to further accelerate efforts to expand Botika ng Barangay [Drugstore of the Villages] outlets with the goal of 15,000 outlets nationwide by 2010," Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a statement. Although listed as a priority measure by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), the cheaper medicines bill was bypassed by the 13th Congress due to lack of time and quorum. Congress finally ratified it in April this year. But the measure's passage came after months of intense debates amid alleged efforts by pharmaceutical firms to delay, water down, or archive the bill. For it to get the nod of the lawmakers, especially members of the House of Representatives, Arroyo also agreed to remove a "generics only" provision that would have required physicians to only prescribe the generic names of drugs. Arroyo said the measure was part of government efforts to make medicines affordable to the people, especially the poor already burdened by high prices of oil, electricity, and food. In an interview after the signing, the laws principal author, Senator Manuel Roxas II, said the measure will remove all roadblocks towards parallel importation of medicines. He also said safeguards are in place to prevent the proliferation of fake drugs. The other senators present at the signing were Pia Cayetano and Ramon Revilla Jr. Several congressmen also showed up for the ceremony.

With the new law, any individual or organization registered with the Bureau of Food and Drugs may import medicines and sell them cheap to the public. Other salient features of the new law include: Prohibition of the grant of new patents based only on newly-discovered uses of a known drug substance; Allowing local generics firms to test, produce and register their generic versions of patented drugs, so these can be sold right upon patent expiry ("early working principle"); Allowing the government use of patented drugs when the public interest is at stake; Giving the President the power to put price ceilings on various drugs, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Health. These drugs include those for chronic illnesses, for prevention of diseases, and those on the Philippine National Drug Formulary (PNDF) Essential Drug List; Strengthening the Bureau of Food and DrugAdministration so that it could ensure the safety of medicines, by allowing it to retain its revenues for upgrading of its facilities, equipment and human resources; and Ensuring the availability of affordable medicines by requiring drug outlets to carry a variety of brands for each drug, including those sourced from "parallel importation," to give the consumer more choices.

Senate approves cheaper medicines bill, 4 other measures

By Veronica Uy INQUIRER.net Posted date: October 02, 2007

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) The Senate has approved on second reading five bills including a proposed legislation to bring down the cost of medicines as it passed on third reading a measure giving additional retirement benefits to justices and judges across the country. I acknowledge the sheer determination and commitment of my colleagues in fast-tracking the passage of these important measures to benefit our countrymen, Senate President Manuel Villar said Tuesday. The senators also passed the proposed measures giving more benefits for household helpers,

providing guidelines in the presentation of suspects in press conferences, and a bill granting good conduct time allowance to deserving prisoners. Such accomplishments are made in the midst of a number of equally important Senate investigations on issues of national importance and parallel hearings on the budget, said Villar. Inquiries are ongoing in the Senate on the wiretapping controversy and the controversial $329million deal with Chinas ZTE Corp. Senator Manuel Roxas II, principal sponsor of the cheaper medicines bill, said the bills passage was a powerful message that despite the raging controversies, we are immersed foremost in the business of the people. The Quality Affordable Medicines Act of 2007 seeks to allow the parallel importation of more affordable medicines. It seeks to adopt the early working principle that allows the generics industry to start work on medicines whose patents are about to expire, and to disallow the grant of new patents on grounds of new use, which is practiced by drug companies to extend the term of their patents. The bill also gives the President the power to impose drug price ceilings in times of calamity, public health emergencies, illegal price manipulation, and other instances of unreasonable drug price hikes. Committee Report 6, submitted by the Senate committees on trade and commerce and health and demography, also recommends the creation of a Congressional Oversight Committee on Quality Affordable Medicines, allocating an initial P25 million to the Department of Health for the implementation of the law. The committees also recommend strengthening the Bureau of Food and Drug to curb fake or substandard medicines by allowing the bureau to retain its operating income from fees and other charges so it could upgrade its facilities and beef up its human resources. On the other hand, the Kasambahay bill will among others, give household helpers 15 days of vacation leave every year, and grant them pension and medical benefits from the Social Security System and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. Villar said the farmers bill or the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund extension and the Entrepreneurs Act have also been sponsored, while various committees have submitted their reports on the Veterans bill, the Anti-Cellular Phone Theft Act, the amendment to the Child Pornography Law, and the three-year term for AFP chief of staff. He said the bills are expected to be approved in the Senate before it adjourns on October 12. Also to be filed are the committee reports on the Personal Equity Retirement Act, Credit Information Bureau, the Anti-Stalking bill, and the creation of the Commission on Missing Persons. As I have said, normally, the Senate, during the First Regular Session, is unable to pass bills, but at this time we have already passed five bills and we hope to increase this number, said Villa