Prices of 22 most prescribed drugs to be slashed by 50%
Roxas lauds release of MRP list; calls for more drop in drug costs
A year after the law was enacted, the public would soon start experiencing the effects of the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines law through a 50% drop in the prices of the top 22 most prescribed drugs in the country, Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas announced yesterday.
“Nagapasalamat kita nga sa katapusan gintalupangod sang DOH ang probisyon sang kasuguan kag maga-isyu na ini sang MRP (Maximum Retail Price) sa 22 ka mga bulong nga masami ginaresita diri sa aton pungsod. Daku kaayo nga tikang ini,” said the chairman of the Oversight Committee on Quality Affordable Medicines.
“Isa ka tuig matapos mangin kasuguan ining Cheaper Medicines law, naghulag na gid man ang DOH. Ini panugod pa gid lang. Palpagon naton sila agud madugangan pa ining 22, idusu pa gid naton nga mabuhinan ang presyo sang mga bulong bangod mahal pa gid ang presyo sang mga bulong diri sa aton pungsod,” he added.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque had announced an initial MRP on the 22 most prescribed medicines in the country would be endorsed for President Arroyo’s approval within the week. “After 6 months of implementation, the DoH and DTI have jointly studied and perused that there is limited access to some medicines that address public health concerns, thus requiring regulation of prices,” Duque said during the oversight committee hearing.
Those included in the initial MRP list are anti-hypertensive, anti-thrombotic, anti-cholesterol, anti-diabetic, antibiotics/antibacterial and anti-neoplastic drugs, which would be slashed by 50% based on the price of the leading brands.
The Visayan senator said the MRP list comes at a most opportune time when the country is battling a possible outbreak of the AH1N1 virus and following complaints of senior citizens groups on their inability to buy their maintenance and prescription medicines.
He said the 50% slash on the anti-hypertensive drug Norvasc, from the present P44 .50 prevailing cost to only P22.50, would help the elderly maintain their health. Also, he said the P7.35 cost of the anti-diabetic Diamicron from the old P14.75 and the P66 price of the antibiotic Flagil from P132 would benefit thousands of senior citizens in the country.
Roxas said that while the MRP list was a good move, he said the DOH need to do more to further bring down the prices of medicines.
He urged Duque to lobby for additional funding for the Bureau of Food and Drugs to allow it to hire additional workers to check and monitor the manufacture and sale of drugs in the country, and for the Philippine International Trading Corporation for the parallel importation of medicines.