consumers' action for empowerment

Cheaper Medicines Act: An Illusion

2011-06-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

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. ###

Reference:

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

Cheaper Medicine Law, Bigo at Walang pakinabang sa Mamamayan

2011-06-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

Noong ika-6 ng Hunyo taong 2008, naipasa ang Republic Act No. 9502 o mas kilala ngayon sa tawag na Universally Accessible and Quality Medicines Act of 2008. Naglalayon itong ibaba ang presyo ng mga pangunahing gamot sa bansa upang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga Pilipino. Nabigyan ng pag-asa ang mga mamamayan sa kabila ng maraming butas o depekto ng naturang batas. Tatlong taon matapos maipasa ang batas na ito, natugunan nga ba ang pangangailangan ng mga tao at nagbunga ba ang pag-asang ipinuhunan ng mamamayan?

Walo sa sampung Pilipino ang walang kakayahang bumili ng mga mahahalagang gamot para sa kanilang mga karamdaman. Karamihan sa mga sakit na ito ay madali sanang lunasan kung mayroon lamang sapat na gamot at maayos na serbisyong pangkalusugan. Tatlong taon na ang nakalipas ngunit walang naramdamang pagbaba ng presyo ng gamot ang mamamayan. Mas lumala pa ang kalagayan dahil sa ibang pampublikong ospital tulad ng Philippine General Hospital at Philippine Heart Center ay kulang ang mga gamot para sa mahihirap na pasyente.

Sa 600 na gamot na wala nang patente sa bansa, 200 lamang ang kayang ilabas ng lokal na industriya sa merkado. Hindi sinusuportahan ng gobyerno ang mga local drug industry manufacturers sa bansa. Sa halip, mas marami ang mga gamot na ina-angkat mula sa ibang bansa. Dahil dito ay bumagsak din ang lokal na industriya ng gamot.

Sa kabila ng mga price ceilings na itinalaga, ang mga dayuhan pa rin ang nagdidikta ng presyo ng mga branded na gamot na siya namang patuloy na ina-angkat ng bansa. Alipin ang gobyerno nga mga transnasyunal na korporasyong banyaga. Hinahayaan ng gobyerno ang monopolyo ng mga dayuhan sa industriya ng gamot. Ito ay nagdudulot ng mahal na presyo ng mga gamot na 8 hanggang 12 na beses na mas mahal. Isa itong malaking dagok sa mahihirap na mamamayan.

Sa makatuwid, walang kapakinabangang naidulot ang batas na ito sa malwak na mamamayang Pilipino. Lalo lamang nitong pinalala ang kalagayan ng serbisyong medikal sa bansa. Sa halip na tinatamasa ng mamamayan ang kalusugan at iba pang serbisyong pampubliko ay tila ang gobyerno pa mismo ang nagkakait ng karapatang ito.

Kailangan ng mamamayang Pilipino ng maayos na serbisyong medikal na kayang tugunan ang kanilang pangangailangan. Kung hindi papahalagahan ng gobyerno at ng kinaukulan ang pangangailangan at karapatang ito ay patuloy na lalala ang serbisyong pangkalusugan.

Kailangang tuloy-tuloy na ipaglaban ng mamamayan ang karapatan sa kalusugan at igiit sa administrasyong Aquino na pakinggan ang mga panawagan para sa libreng gamot sa mga pampublikong ospital.

One month after the MDRP: Prices of medicines still high, gov’t still upholds big pharma companies’ interests

2009-09-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

A month has passed after the implementation of the executive order on the maximum drug retail prices (MDRP) and the consumers are still burdened with high prices of medicines.

The Consumers’ Action for Empowerment affirms its earlier pronouncements that the MDRP will not make the prices of medicines affordable to ordinary Filipinos. It is evidently another band-aid solution by a government that does not put premium on the people’s right to health.

The MDRP executive order listed five medicines for compulsory compliance and 16 other essential medicines for voluntary compliance, but did not include the more widely used essential, first-line medicines needed for the treatment and cure of more prevalent diseases in the country.

According to Eleanor Nolasco, spokesperson of Consumers’ Action, the MDRP was not formulated on the right premise.

The MDRP is pegged at half the price of the innovator drug which is still high as compared to the available existing generic equivalent. For example, Norvasc, which is the innovator drug was originally priced at P77 in leading drug stores so that the MDRP of Amlodipine 10mg is P38.50. MDRP set is much higher than the available generic equivalent of Amlodipine 10mg sold at P15.

Definitely, the government did not have the ordinary citizens’ welfare in mind with the MDRP.

Nolasco also said that the big pharmaceuticals again emerged winner in this fight for affordable and accessible essential medicines. Their monopoly in the manufacturing up to distribution of drugs in the market remains unshaken due to the government’s selective and limited action of drug price regulation.

Amid protest actions and calls for the immediate cutback of the prices of all essential medicines, the government remains deaf.

With the non-inclusion of many other widely-used essential medicines in the MDRP, the government proves once again its half-heartedness in protecting and promoting the ordinary consumers’ rights.

Without sincere measures in lowering and regulating the prices of medicines, the government is condoning the monopoly of the transnational corporations such as Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Roche in the local drug industry.

Reference:

Eleanor M. Nolasco, R.N.
Spokesperson
Contact: 0905-3255-223

NGO wants more medicines in MDRP list

2009-08-25T00:55:00.001-07:00

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

More essential drugs must be made cheaper

2009-08-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

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.