Cost of Drugs and Status of Generic Drugs In the Philippines

Status of Generic Drugs In the Philippines

Click the Picture for larger View

A member of our List, Livinginthephilippines3 which you can join from the link at the top of this page, said the following:

"Enalapril is cheap enough for me here in Tacloban that I do not buy from USA or from Internet pharmacies. Try both Generic Drug Store and Alpha Pharmacies, another generic chain of drug stores in the RP. Alpha is usually even less expensive than is Generic."

Why is he telling this to other List members? Because most generic drugs are not available in the Philippines despite the Philippines Government attempt to make them so. Drugs are expensive as in the States, and sometime even more so. On top of that they can be expired so check carefully. There are counterfeits, but few I believe. They are so cheap to make anyway, why counterfeit. The mark up is high enough, surely with so few generics available.

The member said also, and I know part of it at least to be so,

"Now there is a chain of drug stores all over the Philippines named Generic Drug Store. They sell generic Plavix and all other drugs for a lot less."(I did not know there was a generic Plavix.)

Don Herrington on Generic Drugs in the Philippines, 2009. Comments, Observations and Speculations

I believe legally these "generic," drug stores are supposed to sell only to other drug stores in bulk. But they did sell me a box of propranolol. But it is not uncommon for drugs, common, non narcotic drugs, to be sold without prescription, even antibiotics, unfortunately. You really should require a prescription from a doctor for antibiotics and doctors counseling. People don't understand the importance of taking a full course of antibiotics when they do have to take them, should not take one for a headache as I have seen here. But I digress.

As I said, the drug I bought was generic propranolol, branded name: Inderal, the old common high blood pressure medicine, beta blocker, if I am spelling it right. I did not need it. But for the price of P100 (about $2) per 100 pieces of 20mg I bought it anyway. I since gave it to a friend taking it because it is prescribed by his doctor. It is not the best and newest medicine available by far.. But he is on a budget. The "generic," Inderal at Mercury and others is Peso 3 per 20 mg. But they rarely have it, sell only the "Branded,"for peso 13 for 20 mg! This is terrible to allow this to happen.; The Government has a law that the doctors have to put the generic name on the prescription so the customer can have the generic when available. But the generic is never available. It is an excellent law, but because of "out of stock," something you hear often in developing countries when you want something cheaper than what they have, the law does not help. Lets hope the Generic Drug Stores and Alpha, mentioned above, have success.

But wait! I do remember some of the vitamin B tabs at the Generic Drug Stores where more expensive than some United Lab "generic," drugs sold at Rose Pharmacy, also a big chain not unlike Mercury. United Labs has good vitamin C and many others at very competitive prices even at some of the drug stores that usually don't carry generic drugs. I don't know how they got inroads to the drugstores. But I know we all wish United Labs and others who make quality generic products at fair prices, continued success. The lobbyist for the drug companies say. "Filipinos prefer branded products." I don't doubt they do. Filipinos are more brand conscious that even those of us from the US. But unfortunately branded drugs most often are no better and are sold at prohibitive prices. If a Filipino has to have branded he may just have to continue to be sick or worse. I know most Filipinos want to be cured and generics if anything will do that and maybe if bought from the right place, be affordable. The current Administration, Arroyo administration has tried so hard to get generics in from India. But the drug lobby is so strong, so powerful, as in the States. Their only argument is that Filipinos like branded. or so their studies show. I don't doubt their studies.

Don't get me wrong. Mercury and Rose and other big names do have some generics and they are good. But they don't have as many as they should have in my opinion and of others who would like to see more generics. In others I include even the present Administration, I think the Ramos administration too. I don't think it was an issue in the Estrada administration, the last administration before the Arroyo one now expiring.

I like Rolls Royce but am happy to have my Toyota. I can almost afford it. I am sure a sick Filipino wants a medicine he can afford and will work well, first and foremost, one that is not expired though some drugs work long after expiration dates especially if kept in cool places. But better go to www.nih.gov to find out more about that from Medline or some other authority. That is beyond the scope of this comment and opinion. The point is, when illness strikes you need adequate and affordable medication when prescribed. I feel sure that is what the people really want, can forgo brand names. Brand names here are questionable anyway. There is one company, Roch, not to be confused with Roche, the famous US drug company. Or maybe is to be confused with the well established and respected Roche company. Naaah. . ., Roch would not mean to do that! Without a strong FDA to protect folks, though there is a Philippine government agency trying hard, be careful when purchasing drugs here to get what you pay for and not to pay too much. Drugs over the years can eat up a lot of your budget in any country..

Want to know if a certain drug can be purchased here? Remember, it may have a different name here than in your country. The only way I think you can find out for sure is to ask on our List. You can join from above or ask on our Forum at http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/forum . One of those places surely you will find a sick foreigner taking it. Lets hope is able to get it in generic form and lets hope this administration or the next one that gets in is more successful in getting generics "in stock," on the shelves be those from India, Thailand, the US or wherever there is a supplier that can break through the drug lobby that keeps blocking attempts to get more affordable drugs in the Philippines. The present administration, GMA, the Arroyo administration tried very hard to get Indian and Thai quality generics in. But the drug lobbies are even stronger. As they say, "In the US money talks." In the Philippines, where money is hard to find, comparatively, money screams!

The Philippine Law requires when prescribing medicine doctors include on the prescription the generic name of the drug prescribed. Sometimes, of course, patents have not expired on certain drugs. Then, no generic exist to be sold or bought. But most often there are generics available in the conventional supply pipeline, without going to India or Thailand. When generic do exist but the pharmacies refuse to carry them because they are not profitable as the expensive branded drug, sick, poor Filipinos are deprived of badly needed medicine. It is not unreasonable to consider those responsible for the lack of affordable life saving generic drugs to be criminals, felons, less than concerned with their fellow human beings, very much unlike the Filipino empathetic character and soul, kaluluwa. Let us all do our best to influence others and our loved ones to encourage the government to fight for affordable drugs for Filipino's.

Don Herrington
July 2009
Cebu City, Philippines

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:20:00 07/17/2009

The country's pharmaceutical companies have until Saturday to propose a plan for voluntarily reducing medicine prices substantially, before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signs an executive order imposing a maximum retail price, or MRP, on 22 "essential medicines."That, at least, is the idea.

But while the deadline-10 days after the July 8 meeting between the President and representatives of the drug companies in Malacañang-is old news, the statements issued by one of her spokesmen the other day are both new and upsetting. "The implications for economic health go beyond just the issue of cheaper medicines at hand," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Gary Olivar told reporters. He pointed out that, under the law, the President was not "compelled or required" to set an MRP on specified medicines. Then he used, yet again, the argument from the top of the totem pole. "The President is responsible for [looking at] the big picture. Others who criticize her do not have that obligation."

Even Olivar's assertion of executive action sounds decidedly lame. "If the drug companies do not come out with a response she deems satisfactory, then we might expect her at that point to go ahead with the maximum price ceiling regime."

In fact, the issue is not cheaper medicines, or a satisfactory response, but political will. It is precisely because the chief executive bears overall responsibility, because she sits atop the teetering pole, that she must do the right thing.

Republic Act 9502, the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008, became law on April 29 last year, and took full effect last November, after its implementing rules and regulations were published. In other words, it has been more than seven months since the law should have driven medicine prices down. Nothing doing.

Provisions in the new law, however, empower the secretary of health, "when the public interest so requires ... to determine the maximum retail prices of drugs and medicines which shall be recommended to the President of the Philippines for approval."

Last month, Health Secretary Francisco Duque recommended that 22 drugs, belonging to categories specified in Section 23 of the law, be placed under a maximum retail price regime. Why? Because, he explained recently, "after seven months, the prices of expensive branded medicines did not go down."

The meeting with industry executives last week gave the drug companies some breathing room. We will find out soon enough if they are capable of meeting both the letter and the spirit of the new law with their counter-proposal. Duque explained the Palace strategy. "Ma'am [the President] said, "If you can do it on your own voluntarily, do it." "That is, if the drug companies can lower the prices of the 22 identified drugs by at least 50 percent, then there would be no need for the President to sign the executive order.

But the core issue is how much time the pharmaceutical companies really need to make cheaper medicines a reality. We agree with the Department of Health: Half a year after a controversial law's controversial IRRs were finalized seems like more than enough time for the drug companies to comply with the new law's mandate. In other words, it is high time the government enforced a key provision, and imposed a price ceiling on essential medicines.

It seems President Arroyo is reluctant to force the pharmaceutical industry to comply with the thrust of the law; in any case, she only has until Saturday to make up her mind.

But the problem with a voluntary plan, at this stage, is that it may all be too little, too late. How much will the actual reduction be, which medicines will be included, and-the crucial point-how long will the prices stay reduced? It is entirely conceivable that the reduction will be temporary, and temporary by design. Without a sharp-toothed executive order, what will prevent the drug companies from raising their prices anew, in three or six months?

The discount card scheme that the drug companies have proposed is essentially a loyalty program. In the light of the new law, the public can only view it as discriminatory. The purpose of the law is to make cheaper medicines available to all, not to a select, card-carrying few.

President Arroyo's Ultimatum to Drug Companies on Prices.

The President has been fighting with drug companies since the beginning of her first term, nine years ago. It looks like she is sick of it, had enough of their continued non compliance with RA 9502, the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008. It was to be implemented as of April last year. But the drug companies like big profit, have never been satisfied with less than huge mark ups. And almost all of there are foreign drugs that badly need rice money for Filipinos and their children out of this poor country into wealthy one to buy bling bling, one more SUV, monster flat screen TV or what ever.

She is tough. That is why they hate her. She will not allow them to buy their way out with bribes, make them comply with the law. It is amazing she has lasted so long. Yes, she is makunat, makulit, and much to the chagrin of her detractors, she is durable, matibay too!

More Pages

Philippine Comments