Thursday, January 25, 2007 High cost of drugs increases cancer deaths
CANCER specialists at the Davao Medical Center said the high cost of medicines contributes to the increase in number of cancer deaths in the region.
With the upward trend in the number of cancer patients, it was noted that more cancer patients also died due to the lack of resources to maintain the needed medicine for cancer.
Department of Health Director Rosell-Ubial admitted that the region has the best and modern equipment for illnesses like cancer; however, most of cancer patients could not afford the high cost of medicines.
"The health department could do less about the situation because big multi-national companies dictate the price of these medicines," Ubial said during a press conference in line with the celebration of Cancer Prevention Week.
She said the strong move of the civil society and other stakeholders to push for House Bill 6035 will expectedly lower the cost of medicines in the Philippines.
HB 6035 proposes amendments to the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. It will allow the importation and early development of patented medicines and provide exceptions to the application of standard compulsory licensing requirements for drugs and medicines.
As a result, it will create an environment that will lower the prices of medicines through greater competition among drug companies and will enable the government to significantly influence the supply and demand of medicines.
Iloilo 4th district representative Ferjenel Biron said, "The passage of this bill would make medicines affordable and accessible to all especially to the poor and marginalized."
Its counterpart version in the Senate has already been deliberated in plenary last August 2006 and is set for approval on second and third reading. This measure was also certified urgent by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Data showed that medicine cost in the Philippines is higher by 40% to 180% than in other Asian countries.
According to the Philippine International Trading Corporation, the local price of Ponstan 500 mg tablet is P21.82 compared to P2.61 in India and P1.38 in Pakistan.
The Philippines is classified among countries where less than 30 percent of the population has regular access to essential drugs. Worse, the market share of generic medicines in the country accounts for only 3 percent, while it is 50 percent in the United States of America.
