Roxas exposes conspiracy between GMA and multinational pharma

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today exposed a devious conspiracy between President Arroyo and multinational drug firms to circumvent the cheaper medicines law, in effect keeping critical drugs out of reach of the poor.

"I am informed by very reliable sources that recently, President Arroyo held a closed door meeting with representatives of multinational drug firms," he said.

"Sa meeting nila, napagkasunduan na ipagpaliban muna ang EO na magpapataw ng Maximum Retail Price (MRP) sa mga gamot. Ang kapalit, gagawa ng paraan ang big pharma companies na ibaba ang presyo ng gamot bago sumapit ang SONA ni GMA sa July 28," Roxas revealed.

The Executive Order setting the MRP for 22 essential medicines has been submitted by the Department of Health (DOH) to Mrs. Arroyo as early as June 16. The MRP list seeks to slash by half the prices of these drugs within reach of poor patients who are in need of life maintenance or at the brink of dying.

These drugs include the anti-hypertensive drug Norvasc (to P22.50 from P44.50); anti-diabetic Diamicron (to P7.35 from P14.75); antibiotic Zithromax (to P149.37 from P298.75); and antibiotic Augmentin suspension 60 ml (to P179.50 from P359).

"Sa meeting na iyon, nandoon daw ang Secretary of Health. Tinatanong kita, Secretary Duque, bakit hindi ka umalma sa kuntsabahang nasaksihan mo sa pagpupulong na iyon?" he said.

"I believe that this conspiracy was engineered with the facilitation of an influential Presidential Adviser who is also connected with one of the multinational pharmaceutical giants," he added.

"It is the poor patients that the President should call to Malacañang for a meeting so she can see for herself how hard it is to cling to dear life without affordable quality medication," he said.

Roxas demanded "for the nth time" that the President sign the EO on the MRP "and stop consultations with the pharmaceutical firms as if they were the victims in this issue."

He also demanded that Tamiflu—now priced as high as P150 per tablet—should also be included in the MRP.

"Stop playing with the lives of the people and just implement the law, Mrs. President," he said.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 | posted in cheaper medicines bill, doh, francisco duque, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, president, tamiflu | 1 comments [ More ]

Roxas demands resignation of DOH officials

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas yesterday demanded the resignation of top health officials for failing to make cheap quality medicines available to Filipinos one year after the signing of a new law that bucked multinational companies’ decades of control of the local market.

"Ayokong magsalita ng patapos pero mukhang ang pinakamalaking hadlang o balakid para maibaba ang presyo ng gamot dito sa ating bansa ay ang DOH mismo (I don’t want to give any last word but it seems it is the DOH which is the main problem in enforcing this law)," he added.

"Dapat ang burden ngayon ay nasa DOH para patunayan nila na hindi sila kasabwat ng pharmaceutical companies na ito (The burden is now with the DOH to prove they are not in collusion with the pharmaceutical companies," he said after Tuesday’s Quality Affordable Medicines oversight committee hearing.

Roxas, seconded by Rep. Teodoro Locsin and Rep. Antonio Alvarez, summoned Health Secretary Francisco Duque to the next hearing on Monday (June 8) to personally respond to the oversight panel’s queries and to "defend his boys’ failure to implement the law."

During the hearing, the Visayan senator called for the resignation of Health Undersecretary Alexander Padilla after the latter failed to present anew the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) list for essential drugs.

He noted that almost one year after the law was enacted in June 6 last year, "iyong parallel importation, walang pera o kakaunting pera lamang ang inilagay ng DOH. Dito sa pagtakda ng Maximum Retail Price, hanggang sa ngayon, wala pa rin silang ginagawa."

Roxas also found unacceptable Padilla’s declaration that there was no need for the MRP because there is allegedly an existing competition among pharmaceutical companies in the country and that prices of many medicines have supposedly gone down.

"Is he crazy? Does he not know how expensive medicines are in this country?" the Visayan senator fumed.

Roxas urged President Arroyo to order Duque to explain his office’s failure to implement the law, which he noted would have benefited the public if it was fully and correctly enforced.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 | posted in alexander padilla, antonio alvarez, cheaper medicines bill, doh, francisco duque, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, teddy locsin | 0 comments [ More ]