Cheaper Medicine Lawan artificial solution

MANILA, Philippines – Health advocates see Republic Act 9502, the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicine Act of 2008, as an “artificial solution” to the high cost of medicine.

Dr. Merry Mia, Council for Health and Development (CHD) director, said the new law could not reduce the cost of medicine without a price regulatory board.

“Failure to create a regulatory body for drug prices would only strengthen monopoly trade among big players in the drug industry and would further banish local manufacturers into oblivion,” she said.

Mia said the Drug Price Regulatory Board should not have been omitted from the law to make quality medicine affordable for poor Filipinos.

“It is very disappointing that our legislators decided to give the authority to regulate the prices of medicine to the President when Mrs. Arroyo herself is tainted with corruption and other anomalies,” she said.

“Besides, she has no record of going against the profiteering acts of transnational drug corporations,” Mia added.

 Mia said the CHD estimates that 72 percent of the pharmaceutical industry is controlled by transnational corporations.

“Instead of being dependent on imports, why not develop our own drug industry and grant tax holidays for local manufacturers?” she said.

The CHD is recommending the development of a “self-reliant” national drug industry and technology to refine and extract raw materials and chemicals needed to manufacture medicine.

It is also proposing the exploration and use of indigenous and herbal plants through government-sponsored research and development. – Sheila Crisostomo