FOLLOWING the Congress’s ratification of the affordable-medicines law last week, a health official on Monday estimated access to cheaper medicines will be available by the end of the year.

Health Undersecretary Alex Padilla said that on a general level, the needs of the poor in accessing cheaper medicines will be available by the end of the year, while parallel importation, or allowing patented medicines to be purchased from the cheapest source without having to get consent of the patent holder, can take effect as soon as the enrolled bill is signed by the President.

“It is a sad fact that in Asia, we are the lone country that has the highest-selling price of medicines and the lowest-selling price of cigarettes,” Padilla said. “Medicines in the country cost several times higher than in most countries and local prices are, in fact, second only to Japan.”

Sen. Mar Roxas II, author of the quality affordable medicines bill, said that the culprit is the dominance of multinational companies in the country.

“It is a monopoly often sustained by the patent rights of these companies over these medicines,” Roxas said.

“As a form of intellectual property, patents are awarded to inventions and improvements of a new product or process, granting to the inventor exclusive rights to the manufacture, use, or sale of that invention,” he explained. “Pharmaceutical patents are given for a limited period of usually up to 20 years.”

 The bill, Roxas said, is designed to break the cartel of supremacy of multinational companies in the Philippines. It has five key provisions that ensure cheaper medicines and that strengthens the local generics industry.

“First is through amending the Intellectual Property Code,” he said. “The ‘No new use’ policy, which is against the renewal of the patents, and the ‘Early working’ doctrine, which allows local companies to test, produce and register their generic versions of patented drugs are designed to increase competition and strengthen the local generics industry.”

The second is through price regulation. Roxas disclosed the President is given the power to impose price ceilings on various drugs, upon recommendation of the health secretary. He also revealed the government has the authority to direct medical companies to manufacture certain medicines.

Infrastructure of the Bureau of Foods and Drugs and parallel importation conclude the remaining parts of the provision.

“I laud the Congress’s ratification of the bill,” Roxas said. “This is a good step to ensure that cheaper, generic medicines will be available in the market.”

Solons hit govt’s bid to take over Meralco

MILITANT legislators opposed the government’s plan to take over the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), branding it as a political move to deprive the Lopezes of their prime economic holding, in retaliation for the latter’s perceived support, through its influential media outfit ABS-CBN network, of popular opposition to the administration.

A LARGE transport group is threatening to go on strike this month over the spiraling price of fuel and to press for the junking of the 12-percent expanded value-added tax (E-VAT) on oil products.

FOLLOWING the Congress’s ratification of the affordable-medicines law last week, a health official on Monday estimated access to cheaper medicines will be available by the end of the year.

THE minority in the House of Representatives said Monday that it will not support the dialogue between the Senate and the House on proposed constitutional change to make way for a federal system of government.

COMMUNIST guerrillas on Monday killed a police officer and three Army soldiers in separate ambushes in Legazpi City, and North Cotabato, on Monday. 

PILIPINO Telephone Corp. (Piltel), the country’s third largest cellular operator, on Monday said net income for the three months of the year went up by 24 percent to P2.46 billion on the back of higher revenues and lower expenses.