WHAT has our country become? Are we still democratic or is this the start of our shift to totalitarianism?
With the passage of the cheaper medicines bill, our right to choose what we want to buy and how much we want to spend for it has now been curtailed. Now the government will start telling you what to buy and dictate to businesses how much they must sell their goods for.
Businesses are now at the mercy of the government as they will now be run from the outside. Entrepreneurs be warned! It is now dangerous to set up shop in the Philippines. No wonder foreign investors pulled out, which made our stock market fall 100 points (3 percent) today. I cannot believe that our congressmen could pass such a bill that has effectively cut free trade in this country built and known for its democratic way of life.
How I wish they could have considered these several points that I will highlight:
1. There are costs in producing medicines. The higher the quality, the more investment that will be needed. How can you produce a 500mg Amoxicillin capsule at P1.50 if the cost of the raw materials alone, less the production cost, is already at P2.50??? What does this tell you? I wonder just how much of the medicine is actually inside these capsules; do the math. Will these congressmen honestly use generic brands when their own children get sick? Take this P1.50 Amoxicillin in front of a camera Mr. Congressman.
2. Researching a new drug takes years to develop. The company will run countless tests and endless re-tests to develop a brand. This will take millions, even billions in investment. The patent will ensure that they are properly compensated for all the hardship. Now, the government would like to just step in and cash in on the hard work of others.
3. Parallel importation is so unfair to business as the government will benefit from the marketing and promotion of the company selling the brand locally. Plus the fact that now, you won’t be sure if the branded product that you are buying is the real thing or the low quality parallel-imported one. Has everyone forgotten that the reason for getting into business is to earn a profit? The pharmaceutical industry is a business, my dear congressmen, not a charitable institution. Therefore, it is not their fault if they are selling and promoting their products for profit! The best that you could have done for the people is to put an end to corruption and give out free medicine, which we taxpayers have paid for. Our health centers have long been out of stock of vaccines and medicines that used to be given for free to the poor. Where has the budget for all these products gone? We have one of the highest taxes in the region, yet this benefit is not being enjoyed by the poor. This is because for every peso collected, only 0.40 goes back to us and we lose the rest to corruption.
The passage of this bill sends chills to my spine as now it has set the precedent for other monstrous things to happen. Who’s to suffer next? Maybe the cost of the Louis Vuitton bag is much too high for the government that they would next pass a bill telling LV to sell it at only P500.00 as they find it overpriced! I really am dreading what’s in store for businesses here in this country. Totalitarianism will drive our booming economy to the ground.
– Paul Santillana, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, Philippines (via e-mail)
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January 22nd, 2008 at 1:41 am
Hi Paul,
Are you a doctor or a Med Rep? Don’t be afraid to lose ’some’ commission as you’ll be depositing some kindness to heaven by helping the poor.
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:36 am
For sure, Paul is, how ever, linked to the drug business. Otherwise, no normal thinking people could hit at the law which would give a chance to get needed medicines at an affordable price. Because, even with an generic prescription, every pharmacy will happily sell him a more expensive branded medicine, no cutting of rights.
Besides, what else are all the branded varieties of a medicament if not also generics? They are not the original product from the inventor company and still mostly more expensive, even their producer had never any research expenses for the product, only franchise costs.
How Mr. Paul knows that only the materiel of Amoxillin is P 2.50? Does he want to say that a generica producer would sell it with a loss of at least one Peso per tablet? Because the content is the same than in branded tablets or it would not have passed the approval measures. What usually is different at generics is the cheaper, more simple packing, without expensive printed boxes. But that has no effect on the medical value of the medicine.
Most drug companies have factories in cheap countries, even in RP, but still sell their products at a price as if they have been produced in high cost, high salary countries. Of course, every business needs profit, but still it should be at a reasonable limit and there is nothing like this in the Philippines.
This is not only with medicines, it is also with much more common products. Or, for example, can anyone explain why a branded original ink cartridge for a printer cost in USA about 15 Dollar but in RP near 35 Dollar? It is the same problem at numerous products, so, let there be a chance to less moneyed people that Mr. Paul seems to be, for some more affordable prices at least at medicines which could be the choice between life or death.
Dear Paul, if you do not like or trust Amoxillin for P 1.50 or P 2.00, just buy branded pills which you can choose up to 500% more expensive. In your view, anyway the most expensive must be the best.
January 21st, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Bilang isang responsableng doktor, binasa ko na ang Cheaper medicines bill, at sa aking pagbabasa ay wala akong nakitang hadlang sa aking patuloy na pagbibigay serbisyo sa aking mga pasyente kung aking susundan ang mga nakasulat dito. Sa katunayan, mula nang ako ay unang magsulat ng reseta hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay hindi ako naglalagay ng brand name sa reseta, pwera na lang kung kelangan ko na ilagay yung brand na MAS MURA para ito ay mabili ng aking pasyente (dahil ang ibang drug store ay nagtutulak ng mas mahal na brand ng gamot kung di ko ilalagay ang MAS MURA na brand sa reseta). Para sa ating mga mambabatas: gawin nyo lang kung ano ang tingin nyo na makakatulong sa ating mga kababayan at mga pasyente, huwag kayo magpapaimpluwensya sa mga kumpanya ng mga gamot at sa ilang mga doktor na may ibang hangarin maliban sa pag-alaga sa kapakanan ng mga pasyente.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Believe it or not the reason these doctor against this cheaper medicin because they won’t be able to make their commission on it.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pm
sorry paul, it should be santillana.
i was thinking of another same-sounding george santayana…