AMID reports of soaring prices of tocilizumab due to its scarcity and high demand, the Department of Health (DOH) said an executive order signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2020 to regulate prices of medicines and medical supplies because of the public health emergency remains in effect.
Tocilizumab is an intravenous anti-inflammatory drug for rheumatoid arthritis that has been repurposed to treat severe and critical cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Duterte’s Executive Order 104 set the maximum retail price of tocilizumab at P14,566.97 for a 200mg/10mL vial and P28,830.84 for a 400mg/20mL vial.
The maximum retail price is the price given by retailers to consumers. The prices mentioned already include the value-added tax (VAT).
For wholesale, the maximum price given by a manufacturer or distributor to a retailer is set at P10,392.98 for a 200mg/10mL vial and P20,581.45 for a 400mg/20mL vial.
“This is an executive order, with the same effect as a law. So, the hospitals and suppliers should comply with this,” Vergeire said.
She said the DOH, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Food and Drug Administration monitor compliance to this executive order.
She urged anyone who has been charged more than the maximum retail price to submit a complaint so that they can launch an investigation.
EO 104 sets a maximum retail price and/or maximum wholesale price on 86 drug molecules or 133 drug formulas, including tocilizumab. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)