ROXAS TO GMA: USE POWERS TO BRING DOWN COSTS OF MEDS
LIST FROM PHARMA FIRMS PROVE COMPLIANCE DEAL INUTILE

A deal made by President Arroyo with pharmaceutical companies for them to voluntarily lower prices of their medicines is inutile as the list they submitted to the government does not include any of the 22 medicines that the health department sought to be covered by price ceilings, Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas said.

Roxas said it is time that Mrs. Arroyo exercises the powers given her by Congress to impose price controls on essential medicines.

"Binababoy lang ng mga kumpanyang ito ang inyong usapan (These companies are just making a fool out of you), Madam President. Implement the law now," said Roxas, the primary author of the Universally Accessible, Cheaper and Quality Medicines law.

He reminded Mrs. Arroyo that Congress vested in her the power to control prices of essential medicines to protect the public, especially the poor, from predatory practices of multinational pharmaceutical companies.

Binigyan ka na namin ng kumpletong tool box para ibaba ang presyo ng gamot. Gamitin mo na, Madam President, ang martilyo para pukpukin itong mga kumpanyang ito (We have given you a complete tool box to bring down the prices of medicines. Use your hammer to pound on these companies to follow the law), he added.

"Madam President, pirmahan mo na agad ang EO. Unahin mo ang kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan bago ang interes ng mga ganid na kumpanya ng gamot (Madam President, sign the EO now. Give priority to the interest of the public over the interests of these greedy drug firms)," he also said.

President Arroyo has given pharmaceutical firms 10 days from their July 8 meeting to voluntarily comply with the law. The deadline ends tomorrow, Saturday. Drug companies have opposed the signing of the EO on the maximum retail price for 22 essential medicines, insisting there are "other ways" to bring down the prices of medicines.

The Department of Health has transmitted to the Office of the President the executive order that would bring down the prices of 22 essential drugs by half as early as June 16.

Some of these branded drugs whose prices will be halved are the anti-hypertensive drug Norvasc (to P22.50 from the present P44.50), anti-diabetic Diamicron (to P7.35 from P14.75), antibiotic antibiotic Augmentin suspension 60 ml (to P179.50 from P359), among others.