Press Release
July 30, 2007

ROXAS WELCOMES MALACAÑANG, CONGRESS ACTION
ON MEDICINES BILL

Sen. Mar Roxas today welcomed expressions of support for the passage of a bill amending patent laws on medicines, with the end-goal of ensuring access to affordable medicines for the public would finally be enacted in the 14th Congress

He said this in light of the President's statement during her State of the Nation Address that the quality, affordable medicines bill shall be finally passed, as well as statements from the House leadership and its members that they will work on its approval within forty-five days.

"I welcome the President's remark on the bill during her SONA, and I also see hope in the House Speaker's intention to expedite its approval. Let us exhaust all avenues for consultations with health and economic experts as well as with civil society to ensure the passage of the best laws for this advocacy to become a reality," he said, adding that both chambers should now just buckle down to work and ensure the bill's passage.

"Ika nga ni Senador Flavier, let's do(h) it!" Roxas quipped.

The senator has refiled the bill, which was approved on 3rd reading by the Senate in the 13th Congress, as Senate Bill No. 101. Roxas said he sees no obstacle to the bill's passage in the Senate given the overwhelming support it received in the 13th congress.

"The Senate will thwart any lobby to defeat this bill. It has a solid record of unity when it comes to advocacies that clearly benefit our people," Roxas stressed.

He added that the most important step has to be taken, that is, an open and genuine consultation and dialogue by the proponents with the stakeholders and experts, so that the bill will be designed with the public's interest in mind.

"The correct and reasonable thing to do is to thresh out all arguments on the merits and differences of all the versions that have been filed, in open consultation with experts and constituencies yearning for a good law that can stand the test of time," he said.

Roxas also stressed that the Department of Health should be more proactive in the issue, especially as it would be the lead agency in implementing the proposed measure.

"People die everyday for lack of the right and timely drug treatment. Let us work on this challenge, instead of petty debates on which version of the bill is better," he said, adding that in the end, such rhetoric remains meaningless unless a law is passed.

Senate Bill No. 101, authored by Senator Roxas, is the same version as the bill that had been certified as urgent by the President during the 13th Congress, and that the Senate had approved on 3rd reading. Unfortunately, the Lower House was unable to approve its version due to lack of quorum.

The bill enjoys the support of those in the public and private sector, including the broad stakeholder coalition Ayos na Gamot sa Abot-Kayang Presyo (AGAP); Cut the Cost, Cut the Pain Network (3CPNet); the Department of Health and its attached agencies; the Department of Trade and Industry, including the Intellectual Property Office; Philippine Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry, the group of the local generics manufacturers; international organizations such as the World Health Organization and OXFAM International and various other stakeholder groups and non-government organizations.

SB101 would ease restrictions found in the Intellectual Property Code and allow the parallel importation of identical yet much cheaper medicines from other countries. It also allows generic drug manufacturers to begin experimentation, production, and registration of drugs before expiry of patents.

The bill also prevents patent holders on extending their patents on flimsy reasons such as the discovery of a new use of the patented drug. Lastly, the bill grants the government discretion in use of patents when public health is at stake, and provides a framework for ample compensation to the patent holder.

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