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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February 6th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Hello pips,
Hindi na bago yang generic prescription. When I was in training in a public institution, we are told by the training dept to use generics. Nasa batas na yan mga pips matagal na po. Ang problema mahina ang BFAD natin. Hanapin nyo sa internet kung ano BFAD if hindi nyo alam (galit!). Tingnan nyo rin na nagresign ang dating director dahil sa issues on generics. Bakit kamo? May mga polticians na involved sa generic dispensing. Sa hospital we are happy na medicines are cheap but look at the clinical efficacy matagal gumagaling ang mga patient esp infections. Lalo na sa pinoy na pumupunta sa doktor pag malala na. So alam nyo na ang ending ng patients. Sige iblame nyo sa doktor and make them liable. The more doctors will migrate. Mahirap manirahan sa ibang bayan but if ganyan sa pnas buti pa umalis na ang mga doctor ang magpakaalila sa ibang bansa. So before you enforce something, make sure the checkpoints are strong. Maging matino ang mga tao sa BFAD but sino ba maging matino if politicians din ang naganegosyo. So you end up in court if you are the one the doing the right thing. So stop your blahblah and look at the issues. We are not againts cheap medicine but sana those medicines are guarded and guaranteed by those who should do.
February 5th, 2008 at 5:18 am
denshi wrote….
First, let me address kalagukoy (and majority of uniformed people here),
The bill limits a doctor’s choice on what is best to prescribe his patient. My parents have tried generic versions of Lipitor and Glucopage, and had mixed results with them. Their doctor at first persuaded to it is best they stick with Lipitor and Glucopage rather than branch off to generic versions.
The bill mandates that doctors to prescribe generic medicines ONLY, and holds them liable if they prescribe branded medicines.
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what i read about the consolidated House Bill 2844, known as “An act providing for cheaper medicines and for other purposes.” was approved by the house and sent to senate for approval.
first thing first, this bill is still a bill and if approved by the senate, it will be voted or vetoed by the president GMA and before it becomes law it will take 6 months to take effect after being published in paper of general circulation.
what i don’t understand is that this lady denshi talking about generic drugs instead of lipitor for cholesterol and glucopage for diabetes which her parents are taking as brand name that caused side effects or allergy reactions as we may call it. with emphasis that the doctor can only prescribe generic and not brand name.
how could that be? where this cheaper medicine is not yet a law but still a bill subject of course to revision or add-ons.
what i can say is when it comes to bill, or law, our lawmakers know best and when it comes to medicines and patients, doctor knows best.
meaning… no cause for alarm, we are not billmakers and we are not doctors.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
First, let me address kalagukoy (and majority of uniformed people here), one thing you can do is read the Cheaper Medicines Bill before opening your rude mouth and spilling your buffoonery all over this board?
The bill limits a doctor’s choice on what is best to prescribe his patient. My parents have tried generic versions of Lipitor and Glucopage, and had mixed results with them. Their doctor at first persuaded to it is best they stick with Lipitor and Glucopage rather than branch off to generic versions.
The bill mandates that doctors to prescribe generic medicines ONLY, and holds them liable if they prescribe branded medicines.
If prescriptions are limited to generic drugs alone, the identification of which medicine would best benefit a patient would no longer be lodged on the physician, but to anyone who may “recommend” a certain medicine.
The bill shifts the final choice of patients’ medicines to the drugstore salespersons who lack the knowledge and training of a doctor, and transfers accountability only to them.
So this isn’t about an anti-poor campaign that some people would like you to believe, but government’s intrusion on what they believe is best for you.
Would you trust a bunch of actors and corrupt officials over your doctor’s recommendation?
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:17 am
here we go again. contesting the wisdom of our lawmakers on cheaper medicine bill and making a hars statement as totalitarian bill.
first of all, kindly elaborate what do you mean by totalitarian bill,
in plain common sense, this cheaper medicine bill is of great help to majority poor filipinos who cannot even afford to buy a cortal or medicol for simple headache.
your’re not only a headache but pain in the ass. i think you need a diatabs to relieve your grumbling stomach with your comment.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
it’s better to lobby more on how we can help people have access to medicines they can afford rather than lobby for the pockets of corporate pharmaceuticals in the guise of “effectivity”. remember, even placebo sometimes work. let’s go for cheaper medicines. if it doesn’t work then go for another cheaper brand.