from Malaya
TWO days before the 50 percent price cut on essential drugs takes effect, the Consumers’ Action for Empowerment (CAE) said the Maximum Drug Retail Price (MDRP) list should have included more drugs that could save more lives.
"Executive Order 821 stands to benefit the users of these medicines but it should include more essential medicines that are most widely used and are first-line medicines needed for the treatment and cure of more prevalent diseases in the country," said CAE convener Eleanor Nolasco.
Nolasco, a registered nurse, said the list of medicines whose prices would be slashed should have included those that treat "the leading causes of morbidity which include respiratory diseases, pneumonia and tuberculosis."
The MDRP list drawn up based on EO 821 includes medicines for hypertension, cholesterol, bacteria, cancer and diabetes. Sixteen other essential medicines were volunteered by pharmaceutical firms for inclusion in the list of drugs whose prices would be slashed by as much as 50 percent. – Gerard Naval
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
More essential drugs must be made cheaper
By ELLALYN B. DE VERA
August 13, 2009, 6:13pm
Manila Bulletin
A consumers group urged the government to include more essential medicine that are widely used and are first-line medicines needed for the treatment of more prevalent diseases, in the list of compulsory Maximum Drug Retail Prices under Executive Order 821.
The EO 821, which will take effect on Saturday, August 15, listed five medicines for compulsory compliance and 16 other essential medicines for voluntary compliance. The medicines are used to treat hypertension, diabetes, cancer, bacterial infections, and amoebiasis.
Eleanor Nolasco, Consumers’ Action for Empowerment spokesperson, said cheaper medicines does not mean it is affordable when more Filipinos still cannot afford effective and quality medicines because of low wages.
Dr. Marlene Bermejo, Health Action Information Network research associate, cited that based on the preliminary results of a national medicine price survey conducted by HAIN in the first quarter of 2009, “treatment with originator brand products requires several days’ wages while treatment with lowest priced generic products requires less than two days’ wages.”
Bermejo explained that originator brands are products that were first given a patent and authorized to be sold in the market.
Citing Omeprazole, used in treating stomach and intestinal ulcer, a person with a minimum daily wage of P279.50 will work for 15.4 days to buy an originator brand and complete the full course of medication.
“Cutting the price of the originator brand by 50 percent may still be unaffordable for the lowly-paid workers, as in the case of Omeprazole, where reducing the price by half still requires more than seven days’ wages, which is still unaffordable,” Bermejo pointed out.
Nolasco explained that the mechanism used in determining the drugs to be included for compulsory MDRP is pegged on the drug originator price which even if slashed by about 50 percent is still expensive.
She said under EO 821, Amlodipine 10 mg, which is used to lower blood pressure, is P38.50 or about half the price of its originator brand medicine Norvasc 10 mg sold at P77 in a leading drugstore chain.
“Why set an MDRP for this medicine at this amount when its generic equivalent is sold at P15 at a known drugstore selling generic medicines?” Nolasco asked.
“The issuance of EO 821 is still a positive development but it is still not enough,” she said. “Medicines that should have been included are those needed to treat the 10 leading causes of morbidity and mortality, which include respiratory diseases, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.”
Nolasco said the list of compulsory drugs under the EO is a pittance considering the list of 600 essential drugs.
“The government must broaden the list to include widely used drugs such as medicines for respiratory diseases, pneumonia, and tuberculosis,” she said.
“It is also the mandate of the government to help the industry of generics drug manufacturers to be at par with company branded drugs,” she added.
August 13, 2009, 6:13pm
Manila Bulletin
A consumers group urged the government to include more essential medicine that are widely used and are first-line medicines needed for the treatment of more prevalent diseases, in the list of compulsory Maximum Drug Retail Prices under Executive Order 821.
The EO 821, which will take effect on Saturday, August 15, listed five medicines for compulsory compliance and 16 other essential medicines for voluntary compliance. The medicines are used to treat hypertension, diabetes, cancer, bacterial infections, and amoebiasis.
Eleanor Nolasco, Consumers’ Action for Empowerment spokesperson, said cheaper medicines does not mean it is affordable when more Filipinos still cannot afford effective and quality medicines because of low wages.
Dr. Marlene Bermejo, Health Action Information Network research associate, cited that based on the preliminary results of a national medicine price survey conducted by HAIN in the first quarter of 2009, “treatment with originator brand products requires several days’ wages while treatment with lowest priced generic products requires less than two days’ wages.”
Bermejo explained that originator brands are products that were first given a patent and authorized to be sold in the market.
Citing Omeprazole, used in treating stomach and intestinal ulcer, a person with a minimum daily wage of P279.50 will work for 15.4 days to buy an originator brand and complete the full course of medication.
“Cutting the price of the originator brand by 50 percent may still be unaffordable for the lowly-paid workers, as in the case of Omeprazole, where reducing the price by half still requires more than seven days’ wages, which is still unaffordable,” Bermejo pointed out.
Nolasco explained that the mechanism used in determining the drugs to be included for compulsory MDRP is pegged on the drug originator price which even if slashed by about 50 percent is still expensive.
She said under EO 821, Amlodipine 10 mg, which is used to lower blood pressure, is P38.50 or about half the price of its originator brand medicine Norvasc 10 mg sold at P77 in a leading drugstore chain.
“Why set an MDRP for this medicine at this amount when its generic equivalent is sold at P15 at a known drugstore selling generic medicines?” Nolasco asked.
“The issuance of EO 821 is still a positive development but it is still not enough,” she said. “Medicines that should have been included are those needed to treat the 10 leading causes of morbidity and mortality, which include respiratory diseases, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.”
Nolasco said the list of compulsory drugs under the EO is a pittance considering the list of 600 essential drugs.
“The government must broaden the list to include widely used drugs such as medicines for respiratory diseases, pneumonia, and tuberculosis,” she said.
“It is also the mandate of the government to help the industry of generics drug manufacturers to be at par with company branded drugs,” she added.
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