SAYING that a piece of legislation could not, on its own, lower the prices of medicine, a militant legislator on Wednesday proposed a five-point legislative agenda that included the breaking up of the monopoly of large pharmaceutical companies by amending the Intellectual Property Code.

Party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros blamed the monopoly of large pharmaceutical companies as the culprit behind the exorbitant prices of medicines in the country.

“We should break this monopoly. Anything less would not lower the cost of essential drugs in the country,” said Hontiveros.

During a roundtable discussion between legislators and experts from the World Health Organization, Hontiveros expressed optimism that a bipartisan consensus would be achieved to pass measures on cheaper medicines.

“We should not allow partisan politics, especially the 2010 presidential elections, to hostage the enactment of bills on cheaper medicines,” Hontiveros said.

She warned that if it is true that pharmaceutical companies have a P1-billion lobby kit, then they would capitalize on disagreements between what version should be prioritized.

Hontiveros said a package of legislation is needed to bring down the price of medicines.

Besides the breaking up of the monopoly of large pharmaceutical companies, part of the package of legislation Hontiveros is proposing are the introduction of price control and transparency mechanisms, which should be outside the influence of pharmaceutical companies; introduction of fair-pricing mechanisms for Philhealth; and increase the bargaining power of the government with insurance for out-of-pocket expenses; review and strengthening of the Generics Act and establishment of a domestic pharmaceutical industry capable of producing active ingredients, which requires the strengthening of the Bureau of Food and Drugs; increased support for herbal medicines; and a fine chemical industry.

“What we have so far are measures to amend the IPC, introduce fair pricing for Philhealth and price-control mechanisms. Admittedly, these measures would not immediately usher a drastic reduction in the price of medicines, but they would still improve access to essential medicines. The challenge now is to have the political will to broaden the legislative agenda for cheaper medicines and prioritize these measures,” Hontiveros said.

AS another typhoon, the third to hit the country in a span of one week, moves in, heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon flooded parts of Metro Manila, causing heavy traffic on major thoroughfares, including Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa), the metropolis’s main thoroughfare.

THE Armed Forces denied on Wednesday reports that US troops have been directly involved in combat operations against terrorists and bandits in the province of Sulu.

THE Supreme Court (SC) yesterday affirmed the Sandiganbayan’s grant of bail to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, a coaccused in the plunder case filed against his father, former-President Joseph Estrada before the antigraft court’s First Division.

NATIONAL Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales agrees with the observation that the antiterrorism law, more commonly known as the Human Security Act (HSA), is unenforceable.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The flood-stricken province of Pampanga was declared to be under a state of calamity by its Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Monday after floods spawned by heavy downpours from two tropical storms wreaked havoc in the province last week.

SAYING that a piece of legislation could not, on its own, lower the prices of medicine, a militant legislator on Wednesday proposed a five-point legislative agenda that included the breaking up of the monopoly of large pharmaceutical companies by amending the Intellectual Property Code.

A PUZZLED Sen. Loren Legarda asked the Arroyo administration on Wednesday to clarify conflicting claims on the perceived economic gains being touted by its officials that the country would get from ratifying the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa).