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Pharmaceutical giant United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab) announced they will be fighting the patent of at least four drugs to cut the cost of the medicine by at least 50 percent.

In a press conference, Jose Maria Ochave, head of legal services and business development of Unilab said there are at least four patents that can be challenged before the courts.

These are Lipitor, a cholesterol lowering medication and anti-bacteria Unasyn both from Pfizer; Seretide for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by GlaxoSmithKline; and Plavix that can help protect against heart attack or stroke from Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Ochave said creating an alternative for branded medicines will make the drugs more accessible to the poor. Ochave added that because these medicines are very expensive, some opt to drink smaller doses instead of the correct amount.

“This is a waste of money. Not following the proper prescription is like not drinking any medicine at all,” Ochave said.

To answer the need for a cheaper alternative, Ochave said frivolous patents must be exposed.

Also, he said Filipinos must be open to drinking generic medicines which are as effective as their branded counterpart. In the United States, 50 percent of medicine drinkers use generic drugs. However, in the Philippines, only 30 percent go for generic.

Ochave noted that this is because Filipinos are loyal to the brand. “They must realize that generic are as good as the branded ones.”

For example, he said Plavix — a drug that can help prevent blood clots, costs P124 per tablet. In India, the medicine can be bought for only P7 to P8. “Without the patent, we can sell 50 percent lower than the innovator.”

“Unilab is trying to work around the patent,” Ochave added.

In the same conference, Unilab expressed their support for the move of Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) to fight the patent of anti-hypertension drug Norvasc

The government-granted patent is set to expire June 13. Pfizer has not yet made any moves to seek for an extension of the 17-year patent.

Teddie Elson Rivera PITC vice president said the monthly sales of Norvasc is P120 million. According to him, this figure will be cut in half if importation of the drug from Pakistan is allowed.

Because Pfizer has the patent for Norvasc’s active ingredient amlodipine besylate, the drug retails for P45 per tablet. Rivera said PITC can buy the same drug from Pakistan for only P10 apiece.

“We can sell it (Norvasc) for P20 only. That is more than a 50 percent discount,” Rivera explained.