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By Angelo S. Samonte, Reporter
President Gloria Arroyo on Friday signed a new
law aimed at bringing down prices of medicines by encouraging more
competition in the local market through parallel importation of
cheaper but quality drugs.
The new law is Republic Act 9502, or the
“Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of
2008.” It also seeks to help the local generics industry by
amending the Intellectual Property Code and strengthening regulatory
powers of the Bureau of Food and Drugs against substandard
medicines.
“We all know about the importance of the
Generics Law before but it was incomplete, and now with the cheaper
and quality medicines bill, we have completed, I believe, our
legislative reforms in bringing affordable medicines to the
people,” President Arroyo said in a message.
She directed the Department of Health to come up
with implementing rules and regulations, or IRRs, within 120 days.
The Health department said the new law would
allow it to expand a program to deliver cheap medicines to the
grassroot.
“With the signing of this act, the [Health
department] is put into high gear to further accelerate efforts to
expand Botika ng Barangay [Drugstore of the Village] outlets with
the goal of 15,000 outlets nationwide by 2010,” Health Secretary
Francisco Duque said.
Although listed as a priority measure by the
Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council, the cheaper
medicines bill was bypassed by the 13th Congress for lack of time
and quorum. Congress ratified it in April this year.
The passage of the law encountered roadblocks
and lawmakers debated for several months after pharmaceutical firms
allegedly tried to delay or archive the bill.
Mrs. Arroyo agreed to remove a “generics
only” provision that would have required physicians to only
prescribe the generic names of drugs to get the nod of lawmakers.
She said the measure was part of government
efforts to make medicines affordable to the people, especially the
poor already burdened by high prices of oil, electricity and food.
Sen. Manuel Roxas 2nd, the law’s principal
author, said the measure will remove all roadblocks toward parallel
importation of medicines. He added that safeguards are in place to
prevent the proliferation of fake drugs.
The new law allows individuals or organizations
registered with the Bureau of Food and Drugs to import medicines and
sell them cheap to the public.
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