Wednesday, April 30, 2008 House okays cheaper medicines bill
THE House of Representatives ratified late Tuesday afternoon what critics said was a watered down version of the Cheaper Medicines Act of 2008.
"How do we ensure that branded medicines will be made cheaper? Take a look at the law six months from now. In the end I will be proven right," said minority leader and San Juan Representative Ronaldo Zamora after the ratification, which was presided by deputy speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong.
Aside from Zamora, Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño and Agusan del Sur Representative Rodolfo Plaza have also raised the same concern.
"I'm just sad that why is it that the board was deleted? It would be unfair to the President (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) to handle matters like this. They're (drug firms) just exposing her from undue pressure. We have to protect the President that's why we recommended a board," Plaza said.
Critics have been blaming Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II -- who is reportedly running for president in 2010 -- for the deletion of the provision creating the drug price regulatory board and relegating its powers to the President.
Roxas, main author of Senate Bill (SB) 2263, has said that creating a price regulatory body would result in more red tape and corruption since giant pharmaceutical companies are expected to mount a lobby every time the law targets a drug for lower pricing.
Because of this, he moved to eliminate the proposal of Iloilo Representative Ferjenel Biron to create a drug price regulatory body and transfer its powers to the President upon consultation with the health secretary.
In contrast, House Bill (HB) 2884, principally authored by Biron, aims to bring down the prices of medicines through a regulatory body headed by the trade secretary and by amending Republic Act (RA) 8239 of the Intellectual Property Code to allow parallel importation of patented drugs and disallow the grant of new patents on grounds of "new use."
The proposed drug price regulatory board would have the power to determine the maximum retail price of pharmaceutical products or formulations subject to price regulation; to include other pharmaceutical products in the list subject to price regulation; to implement cost-containment and other measures; and to impose administrative fines and penalties.
However, Biron on Thursday announced that he and fellow sponsor, Iloilo Representative Janette Garin, have decided to support the Roxas version to break the impasse in the bicameral (bicam) conference committee.
Speaker Prospero Nograles also threw his support for the bill after raising the possibility of delaying the ratification pending President Arroyo's assurance that the measure will really bring down the cost of medicines.
The House contingent to the bicam is headed by Palawan Representative Antonio Alvarez, who chairs the committee on trade.
Aside from Biron, Garin and Zamora, the other bicam panel members are Representatives Teodoro Locsin Jr. of Makati, Junie Cua of Quirino, Michael John Duavit of Rizal, Philip Pichay of Surigao del Sur, Arthur Pingoy of South Cotabato, Edcel Lagman of Albay, and Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel of Akbayan party-list group. (WV/Sunnex)
