ROXAS: POLITICAL WILL NEEDED FOR SUCCESS OF MEDICINES ACT

Senator Mar Roxas stressed the need for "a collective heave of political will" to implement the Affordable Medicines Law.

"Approval of this law is one step, effective implementation is another. All the tools that can be used to lower the prices of medicines are in this measure, and it's up to the executive branch to undertake its implementation with courage and conviction in partnership with different sectors" he said.

"Nasa sa DOH na ngayon ang bola para ipatupad ito ng maayos sa tulong din ng pribadong sektor at sa ilalim ng liderato ng Pangulo (It's now up to the DOH to implement this new law with the help of the private sector and under the President's leadership). Once it is enacted, we in the legislature will then convene an oversight committee to keep track of how it is being used to lower the costs of medicines," he added.

Roxas, principal author and sponsor of the law now known as the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008," said that once the law is passed and takes effect, the DOH must work on the law's implementing rules and regulations in close coordination with various stakeholders (IRR).

He also reiterated his call for an Affordable Medicines Summit for the national government, with the help of local governments, stakeholder groups and local and international health experts, to formulate a detailed roadmap with specific timelines for the implementation of the law.

"Our work is not yet done. Those who have vested interests in maintaining the status quo prefer and will work for the failure of this measure. We must be twice as determined as they are in working for its success," the Liberal Party President stressed.

Roxas said the government through the DoH can start looking into the best practices of other countries with lower-priced medicines. "There are local and international health experts that the government can initially consult with to jumpstart the preparations for the enactment and implementation of this law."

The law seeks to strengthen competition in the local pharmaceutical market by allowing the parallel importation of more affordable medicines and helping the local generics industry to produce quality and affordable generic drugs. These are done by amending the Intellectual Property Code.

It also grants the President the power to impose price ceilings on various drugs, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Health. These drugs include those for chronic illnesses, for prevention of diseases, and those in the Philippine National Drug Formulary (PNDF) Essential Drug List. The law also seeks to ensure the quality of medicines by strengthening the BFAD. It also seeks to ensure the availability of affordable medicines by requiring drug outlets to carry and display a variety of brands for each drug, including those sourced from parallel importation.