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BY Sam Mediavilla, Reporter
President Arroyo on Thursday
vowed to compete with international drug companies in an attempt to
expand low-cost medicine program of the government.
Mrs. Arroyo stressed she would
not let giant drug laboratories to get in the way of the passage of
cheap medicine bill.
Mrs. Arroyo issued the statement
following attempt of Pfizer Philippines to derail passage of House
Bill 6035, or the Half Price Medicine Bill, during the second day of
the special session of Congress Tuesday.
With the success of the
government’s half-priced medicine program the President is
determined to expand it so more poor people could benefit from the
program.
In a roundtable in Malacañang
Thursday afternoon, Mrs. Arroyo said the program could include any
drugstore willing to sell the commonly used medicines at cheaper
prices.
“The reason why we asked the
Philippine International Trading Corp. to buy these cheap medicines
is because we want to make sure any drugstore can have it,” Mrs.
Arroyo said.
Rep. Teddy Locsin of Makati City
during the discussion explained that parallel importation of
patented medicine was permitted in the original bill, “what the
House did was to expand it,” to accommodate larger market of
distributors.
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