Press Release
January 16, 2009

ROXAS: PRESS GOV'T TO FULLY IMPLEMENT CHEAP MEDS LAW

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today said affordable and quality medicines can be made available to more Filipinos nationwide, especially the poor, but more pressure needs to be exerted on the government to fully implement the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act that he principally authored.

He asked Filipinos to join him in convincing the government to put up more Botika ng Bayan outlets to service all communities nationwide. Twenty thousand Botika ng Bayan outlets are needed nationwide, but there are just more than 1,000 of them mainly in urban areas, he said.

Roxas today held a medical mission for senior citizens at the Generika Drugstore in Tondo, Manila with the help of Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd., an Indian pharmaceutical company that opened its Philippine office recently.

"Simula pa lang ito ng pagtupad sa pangarap nating mabigyan ng maayos na kalusugan ang bawat Pilipino. Dahil dito sa Cheaper Medicines Act, mabibigyang-daan ang pagpasok ng abot-kaya at de-kalidad na gamot (This is just the start of fulfilling of our dream for better health for all Filipinos. The Cheaper Medicines Act opens the door for more affordable and quality medicines)," he said.

"Tuloy ang laban para sa abot-kaya at de-kalidad na gamot para sa mahihirap. Kaya magtulungan tayong lahat para makamtan natin ito (The fight for quality and affordable medicines for the poor continues. Let's help each other to achieve this)," he stressed.

Roxas called on the government to implement the law to the fullest. Aside from putting up more Botika ng Bayan outlets, the government should allocate more funds for the purchase of medicines from parallel importation, he said.

Roxas thanked Zydus for helping provide Filipinos access to quality affordable medicine and a choice on the medicine they could buy.

According to Zydus, its anti-hypertension drug Amlodipine Besylate, Amlodac, costs only P11 per 5mg-tablet while other locally available anti-hypertension drugs costs P44.75, a difference of P33.75 per tablet or estimated savings of P12,318.75 per patient over a year of medication.

Manufacturer Drug Price/unit
(Php)
Price/month
30 days
Price/year
365 days
Pfizer Norvasc P44.75 P1342.50 P16,333.75
Zydus Amlodac P11 P330 P4,015
SAVINGS   P33.75 P1012.50 P12,318.75
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