ROXAS URGES HOUSE CONSENSUS ON PRESIDENT ARROYO'S PROPOSAL
SAVINGS FROM MORE AFFORDABLE MEDICINES CAN BE USED FOR RICE, FOOD

Sen. Mar Roxas urged the House committee on trade to form a consensus around President Arroyo's proposal to drop the generics-only provision in the Quality Affordable Medicines bill.

"This will hasten the approval of this long-awaited measure. Implemented correctly by the executive branch and with the cooperation of all sectors, a 20% to 50% savings per family on medicines is achievable within a reasonable period after its approval," Roxas said, adding that the bicameral conference committee agreed to adopt the Senate's provision to strengthen and upgrade the Bureau of Food and Drugs to ensure the quality of imported medicines.

Senator Roxas said the generics-only provision is found in the House version of the bill. The Senate panel believes that amendments to the Generics Act can be the subject of a separate measure under the jurisdiction of the committee on health.

"The consolidated version is 99% complete and the only obstacle is the generics-only provision which can be the subject of a separate bill," Roxas explained.

The principal author and long-time advocate of the Quality Affordable Medicines bill said the Department of Health should start laying the groundwork for an Affordable Medicines Summit to formulate a clear road map for the implementation of its provisions with the help of different sectors.

"This is a landmark bill that will transform the lives of many Filipinos, many of who have to make the painful choice between food and medicines," Roxas added.

Roxas expressed confidence that the proposed Quality Affordable Medicines Act would free a large portion of the household income now spent by Filipinos to pay for expensive maintenance drugs, which they can then allot to buy rice and other food items.

Roxas said he sees Filipino families saving thousands of pesos every month on maintenance drugs once the bill is finally enacted. "Households will definitely spend much less for medicines, and thus be able to spend more of their earnings on other basic necessities," he said.

"The measure has become even more compelling, now that ordinary Filipinos have to cope with soaring prices of rice, bread and other commodities, not to mention the frequent adjustments in fuel prices," Roxas said.

Roxas cited the case of some 7.76 million Filipinos suffering from hypertension in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated.

"Many Filipinos with high blood pressure now spend about P137.50* every day, or P4,125 monthly for their maintenance drugs. We reckon this amount can easily be reduced by at least half that amount, once more quality affordable medicines come in," Roxas said.

Roxas is chairman of the Senate trade and commerce committee and principal author of Senate Bill 1658, the proposed Quality Affordable Medicines Act. He is also co-chair of the Senate-House conference committee reconciling the final version of the bill.

The bill seeks to provide Filipinos greater access to inexpensive drugs through parallel importation, and allows for a price regulation mechanism for certain medicines when the President, through the recommendation of the Secretary of Health, deems this warranted.

The measure proposes to relax existing patent rules by declaring that parallel importation would not violate trademarks, as long as the drugs brought in are determined to be genuine counterparts produced in other countries.

A study by the Philippine Development Forum Millennium Development Goals and Social Progress Sub-Working Group on Health showed that drug prices in the Philippines are among the highest in Asia -- at least three to four times higher than the international price index scale.

For example, a common "maintenance drug" for diabetes, Daonil, locally costs P9.86 per 5-mg tablet that is taken twice daily. The same tablet is being sold in India for the equivalent of less than P1, or roughly 80 centavos.

Another anti-diabetes medication, Diamicron, locally costs P11 per 30-mg tablet, which is also taken twice daily. The same tablet is being sold for just P5 in Pakistan and P7.57 in India .

The Philippines , through the PITC, has been importing from India and Pakistan about 90 high-quality but low-priced drugs for resale here through 11,000 Botika ng Bayan outlets.

* Based on the drugstore/retail prices of Norvasc 5mg (P44.75), Olmetec 20mg (P47.75) and Dilzem 60mg (P45.00), three daily maintenance medicines commonly taken by those suffering from hypertension.