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IT seems
they are still at it trying to emasculate the
cheaper-medicines law. And Sen. Mar Roxas II, who
worried they may succeed, warned at the weekend such
last-ditch backdoor lobbying could still achieve its
aims and alerted all concerned.
The
recently signed cheaper-medicine law had been, for more
than a decade, anathema to multinational pharmaceutical
companies fearing it greatly eats into their enormous
profits—as can be seen from the much cheaper medicines
in neighboring countries—and Roxas was fearful they
would do everything to protect these profits.
“We
expect that those whose interest is to maintain the
status quo of exorbitantly priced medicines will pull
all the stops to make sure we do not achieve our
intentions,” said Roxas.
He asked
the Department of Health to make sure that “not one
comma will be inserted in the implementing rules and
regulations [IRR] that would weaken the effect” of
Republic Act 9502, also known as the Universally
Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act.
“We will
watch over the IRR-crafting process and make sure that
not one comma or word that would weaken the law will be
inserted,” promised Roxas as he noted “the signing of
the law ends the lawmaking process for this bill and
marks the start of a new battlefield: implementation.”
He said
government agencies developing the law’s IRR—the
Departments of Health and Trade and Industry, in
particular—would have to consult the different
stakeholders to ensure transparency and cooperation.
“The departments tasked to implement the law should do
the IRR because they’re the most knowledgeable about the
details.”
But
Roxas insisted this must be done “in consultation with
all stakeholder groups that have long been fighting for
this law. This will deter attempts of any lobby group to
weaken the law through the IRR,” adding the law also
says the IRR must be done in consultation with Congress.
“Greater
competition in the free market will help bring down the
prices of medicines. We must do our best to inform the
people of the next steps involved and the structural
reforms that need to take place so that the benefits of
this new law can be finally felt by all Filipinos,” he
said. |
