Thursday, March 08, 2007
SC rejects plea to lift freeze order on ban v. breastmilk substitute ads (5:15 p.m.)
MANILA -- The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday denied the petition of the Department of Health (DOH) seeking to lift the restraining order on the implementation of an executive order that calls for an absolute ban on the promotion and advertisement of breastmilk substitutes.
In a resolution, the SC en banc however granted the motion of the Office of the Solicitor General, which represents the DOH and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in the case, to set the case for oral arguments pending the petitioners' filing of a reply to public respondents' comment.
Last August 16, the SC granted the suit filed by the Pharmaceutical and Health Care Association of the Philippines (PHAP) to restrain government from enforcing the revised implementing rules and regulations of Executive Order 51 or the Milk Code.
The PHAP is a broad-based organization of health care companies, which produces and/or distributes pharmaceutical, medical and nutritional products. Members include the major players in the breastmilk substitute industry, namely, Abbott Laboratories, Wyeth Philippines, Mead Johnson, Astra-Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Philippines, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Mercury Drug. (ECV/Sunnex) |
