Press Release
May 12, 2009

ROXAS CHIDES DOH FOR SNAIL-PACE IMPLEMENTATION
OF CHEAP MEDS LAW

LAUDS SC FOR ALLOWING LOCAL 'BOTIKA' TO IMPORT LOW-COST DRUGS

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today pressed anew for an expeditious implementation of the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act (R.A. 9502) as he chided the Department of Health, for the nth time, for its languid execution of the new law.

Roxas at the same time lauded the Supreme Court's decision allowing a local drug store from Guagua, Pampanga to import and sell medicines not purchased from the Philippine-registered owner of the patent or trademark of the drugs.

"Dapat pasalamatan ang Korte Suprema sa desisyong ito. Pinapalakas nito ang kapangyarihan ng ating pamahalaan na bigyan ng mas mura at mas mabilis na access ang ating mga mamamayan sa de-kalidad na gamot," the primary author of the new law said.

The senator was referring to the decision of the high court stopping a Pampanga regional trial court from prosecuting Roma Drug, which has been accused by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) of violating the Special Law on Counterfeit Drugs (SLCD) for importing and selling medicines imported from abroad which are under GSK's patent.

Roxas stressed: "Ang kailangan na lang ay ipatupad ng pamahalaan ang Cheap Meds Law ng mas mahusay. Kaybagal-bagal umaksyon nitong Department of Health dahil sa pressure na ibinibigay dito ng mga multinational pharma companies."

He noted that almost a year since the enactment of the law, the DOH has yet to submit to the Congressional Oversight Committee on Cheaper Medicines the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) list of the top essential drugs sold in the country.

He likewise pointed out the huge backlog of Botika ng Bayan and Botika ng Barangay outlets in the provinces, especially in far-flung areas, which is among the prerequisites of the law.

The Visayan senator said the snail-paced action of the DOH could boomerang on the administration, which pointed out is already suspected of conniving with big multi-national drug companies in blocking the implementation of the law.

"Matagal na sanang naibaba ang halaga ng gamot dito sa ating bansa kung hindi lang sana nakikipag-kutsabahan ang ating gobyerno sa malalaking kumpanya ng gamot upang harangin ang pagpapatupad ng batas na ito," he lamented.

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