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By Ruben D. Manahan 4th Reporter
Foreign pharmaceutical giants in
the Philippines might throw a monkey wrench into the signing into
law of a congressional bill batting for lower-priced medicines.
Health Undersecretary Alexander
Padilla on Monday said these multinational firms might step up their
lobbying against the signing of the Cheaper Medicines Act by
President Gloria Arroyo.
The lobbyists “might [file
motions for] temporary restraining orders against the drugs measure
before the courts or pull out of the country [if the bill becomes
law],” Padilla told the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media
forum.
If the foreign pharmaceutical
companies succeed in “[slowing] down the process of turning [the
Cheaper Medicines Act] into law, then this would mean more profits
for them,” he said.
Earlier, Rep. Risa Hontiveros
Baraquel of Akbayan Party-list accused Eli Lily, GlaxoSmithKline,
Pfizer, and Wyeth—all alleged members of the lobby group
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America—of trying to
influence the Office of the US Trade Representative into helping
them obstruct the passage of the medicines bill.
When the bill is signed into law
by President Arroyo, according to Padilla, Filipinos can buy the
lower-priced medicines from the government-operated Botika ng
Barangay (Drugstore of the Village) and Botika ng Bayan (Drugstore
of the People) or privately-owned drugstores.
Sen. Manuel Roxas 2nd also during
the media forum said once the drugs bill is signed into law, its
early implementation would break the alleged cartel run by the big
pharmaceutical players. It also would enable makers of generic
medicines to thrive and compete with the multinational firms.
When the bill becomes law, Roxas
noted, President Arroyo and the Department of Health would be given
the power to control drug prices. The government and the Health
department, he said, also would require the drug retailers to carry
various brands for each drug, including those sourced from parallel
importations, to give consumers more choices. The Philippines is
looking to India for such importations.
Roxas added that they would look
into the possibility of giving discounts to senior citizens and the
disabled when the Cheaper Medicines Act is signed into law.
He and Padilla sought
strengthening of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to ensure the
safety of medicines by allowing the bureau to retain its revenues
for ramping up its facilities, equipment and human resources.
At present, BFAD has around 300
employees guarding thousands of products.
If parallel importations
happened, Padilla said, then the bureau would be overburdened if its
current complement is not beefed up.
Though the bill is awaiting Mrs.
Arroyo’s signature, the Health undersecretary added, some of the
“maintenance drugs” are available from the village drugstores.
The Senate and the House of
Representatives on April 29 ratified the bicameral report on the
“Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of
2008.” The bill is also known as the Quality Affordable Medicines
Act.
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