HOUSE, SENATE "FINE-TUNING" QUALITY, AFFORDABLE MEDICINES BILL

Senator Mar Roxas said the congressional recess will be used to fine-tune the Quality Affordable Medicines Bill in order to facilitate its approval into law once session resumes on April 20.

Roxas, primary author of the bill in the Senate, said the bill is already 99% done and agreed upon by the bicameral conference committee, and only one issue-- the generics-only provision--remains to be threshed out.

"Tahimik ngunit masigasig kaming nagtatrabaho ngayon sa Senado, at nakikipag-konsultasyon sa aming mga kasama sa Kamara, upang maipasa na kaagad ang batas para magkaroon ng de-kaledad at abot-kayang gamot para sa mga Pilipino," he said.

"I have also already instructed a technical working group composed of House and Senate staff to go ahead with working on the details of our bill, so that hopefully, we will breeze through our next formal bicam meeting," he added.

Roxas, co-chair of the bicameral conference committee on the medicines bill, said he is having constant informal discussions with his counterparts from the House, led by Palawan Rep. Antonio Alvarez, the House bicam panel's chairman, and other key advocates of the bill in the House. But already, he said most of the bill's main features are already agreed upon in bicam.

"We agree that prices of medicines will be lowered by increasing competition locally: by bringing in more affordable drugs from abroad, and by easing the present patent restrictions for generics manufacturers," Roxas said.

"At nagkasundo rin kami na kapag may pagkukulang ang kumpetisyon, dapat may option ang Pangulo na magtakda ng mga presyo ng gamot," he added.

Among the bill's provisions are: amendments to the Intellectual Property Code to allow parallel importation and to aid generics manufacturers; a price regulatory mechanism giving the President power to set prices upon recommendation of the Secretary of health; a "must-carry" provision; and strengthening the Bureau of Food and Drugs by allowing it to retain its income, among others.

The two chambers are now discussing the "generics-only" proposal, wherein doctors will be barred from writing brand names in their prescriptions. The Senate, while agreeing in principle, also wants to ensure the safety of patients.

"Let's focus on making these solutions happen. I believe all of us in the bicam committee have a genuine desire to aid our Filipinos whose health problems are complicated by financial difficulties," Roxas said.