Cheaper Medicines Act: An Illusion

Only a small segment of the Filipino population has access to medicines. On June 6, 2011, three years after the signing of the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008 (Republic Act No. 9502), cheaper and quality medicines remain out of reach to majority of the Filipinos.

“Cheaper Medicines Act is an illusion. Eight out of 10 Filipinos still are not able to buy life-saving medicines,” said Eleanor Nolasco, Consumers’ Action for Empowerment spokesperson. The Philippines still ranks next to Japan in terms of high drug prices in Asia. The act failed to address exorbitant drug prices and failed to promote and ensure access of majority of the people to quality affordable medicines.

“From the start, the Cheaper Medicines Act had its inherent flaws and was not expected to effectively bring down the prices of medicines,” remarked Nolasco. To support their position, she stated the following:

First, the law while avowed to help generic firms to develop quality and affordable generic medicines does not truly support the development of a local drug industry. The law favors parallel importation of branded medicines from countries where these are more affordable even if their generic drug equivalents are available in the Philippines. Parallel importation promotes dependence and virtually kills whatever is left of the Filipino drug industry.

Second, the law does not address the monopoly control of transnational corporations on patents. Though 80 to 90 percent of essential drugs sold in the Philippines is already off-patent, their generic equivalents still cannot be manufactured and made available to the people. To date, local drug manufacturers produce only 200 of 600 essential medicines. The government fails to support local drug manufacturers.

Third, the price of medicines has been left to unregulated free-market forces. The President of the Philippines was given the power to set price ceilings of medicine but transnational drug corporations in the marketing, distributing and pricing of medicines still maintain the control of drug prices.

Nolasco said, “The Consumers’ Action for Empowerment demands the Aquino government to remedy the problem of unabated high prices of medicines through provision of free essential medicines to the poor majority in public hospitals and government health centers, through nationalization of local drug industry and through creation of drug price regulatory board democratically represented by stakeholders.”

Access to essential medicine is part of people's inherent right to health. Unfortunately, in a society where the nation's resources become exclusive privilege of a few, that right is never freely given – it is fought for.

The need of Filipinos for efficacious and affordable medicines can only be met when a strong national health care system is in place and under a government whose policies are in the best interest of the people. ###

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Reference:

On the 3rd anniversary of Cheaper Medicines Act
Eleanor M. Nolasco, RN
Spokesperson, Consumers Action for Empowerment
Mobile: 0922 828 0928

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