Cheap Medicine by Double Talking Trapos

Mrs. Arroyo just signed Executive Order 821 mandating a 50% slash in 5 of about 22 medicines recommended by the DoH. Out of this list, pharma companies voluntarily submitted 16 medicines for a price cut by half. That's only 21. What was the drug that Mrs. Arroyo did not approve to be cut?

That's the problem here. Mrs. Arroyo said that she's protecting and taking care of the poor. Why settle for just 21 drugs when the Cheaper Medicines Law actually gives power to the government to slash all prices of medicines by more than half? The palace said, they're doing a balancing act. Why balance it when for many years these pharma companies have been raking profits after profits at the expense of the poor and sick Filipinos?

Also, what happened to the alleged bribery attempt by Pfizer Philippines? No probe? Not even a singular investigation? Senator Ponce-Enrile's accusation was very serious. Is Malacanang protecting its hide and those of giant pharmas? By the way, the E.O. takes effect on August 15 for big drug stores while smaller ones need to adjust their prices a full month after.

A week ago, Senator Mar Roxas reportedly called for an investigation into this. Today though, we did not hear anything about it. Is Roxas fidgeting? That supposed bribery incident is still fresh in the public's mind. Where's the supposed letter that the good senator submitted to the US State department to check on the record of Pfizer? And when is the Senate probe on this very crucial issue?

That's the BIG problem here. These politicians are just pulling our leg. A day after I asked my friends to give Mrs. Arroyo the benefit of the doubt, here comes this signing of an E.O. which, for all intents and purposes, is really a half-baked measure.

And here comes the author of the bill, spewing fire and brimstone after that supposed fidgeting incident by Arroyo and now, he fidgets as well? If you accuse someone of being "bribed" or "lobbied" by these giant pharma companies, then, the most logical thing for you to do is avoid being "bribed" or "lobbied" yourself. These trapos are playing the emotions of the people.

Mar Roxas should push ahead of his plan to get to the bottom of this bribery scandal and ensure that he prosecutes and files charges against those responsible for attempting to corrupt government officials. It's so easy to use an issue as a campaign platform but people expect their "champions" to back their words up with concrete actions.

We really need to get rid of these people and fast.

Cheap Medicine

Port operators at the Manila International Port terminal are up in arms against what they described as the "interventionism" of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group Task force led by Undersecretary Antonio "Bobby" Villar. These operators tag Villar's group as the "Presidential Abu Sayyaf Group". What's the real story behind this? Check it out at http://www.newphilrevolution.com.

Pharma companies are expected to slash the prices of their medicines by August 15. The real question is---where's the price slash on Novarsc, the drug being protected by Pfizer from a 50% price off? Yes, pharma companies agreed to reduce the prices of their 41 drugs in compliance with the Cheaper Medicines Act. However, they refused to lower their best selling drugs, those being used by so many Filipinos but barely afford to buy. That's a featured story in http://www.newphilrevolution.com. Check it out by today.

What would life be without Arroyo?

Honestly, I love Gloria Arroyo. Why? Because she gives me so many things to write. Example--this "tug of war" between the palace and these giant pharmaceutical companies. The DOH gave a list of 22 drugs that they think deserve a maximum retail price ceiling. Today, the pharmas came back with just 14 medicines. Question---will the real Gloria stand up and please state for the record if she'll damn them for this or just meekly bow her head in utter defeat?

Mrs. Arroyo immediately issued an EO to quelch a so-called coup. She immediately ordered state security agencies to pounce on the state's enemies. And she's very strict when it comes to the Muslims who just want their own land.

Now, this. She'll just sign an E.O. that would help countless of sick Filipinos and she's fidgeting? What for?

It's really all posturing for Gloria. Pfizer, that pharma company who tried to wiggle its way out of the rut they call Cheaper Medicines Law by offering suhol...err...sulit cards, is still out there. Gloria did not even charge Pfizer president Albert Mateo with attempted bribery. Talk about the anti-graft and corruption czarina.

Mateo should be fired from his job and charged criminally for that alleged bribery attempt. But, I think we'll just wait for the next administration to just do that. Coz the one we have right now, the one who told us that we need a Strong Republic, is really, a sissy.

Duque hero on Pfizer alleged bribe offer

The Cheaper Medicines Law is a classic example of how strong multinational lobbying muscle is. Prior to that July 8 meeting these pharma companies had with Arroyo, they first had a meeting with Executive secretary Eduardo Ermita. In that meeting, they discussed their apprehensions over the impending implementation of an Executive Order which would mandate a maximum retail price ceiling on at least 22 pharmaceutical products which the Department of Health submitted to Mrs. Arroyo. Remember that it was last June 8, 2008 that the Cheaper Medicines Law was signed by no less than Mrs. Arroyo and it took Malacanang a full year before they decided to implement it.

There is no law that bars multinationals or any other company from lobbying. And there are ethical rules on this. What is so worrisome, to say the least, is the brazenness that these pharma companies are showing.

Pfizer, for example, is too abrasive that it even claims that we're all wrong about the alleged bribery issue. Pfizer made a faux pas when it even stated in its statement that their Sulit card program was implemented a full year ago, at the time when the Cheaper Medicines Law was signed by Mrs. Arroyo. Why only now that it is being offered to the Department of Health (DoH)? If Pfizer indeed went ahead with this program with clean intentions, then, at the onset, they should have partnered up with the DoH.

What Pfizer and the rest of these giant pharmas want is to limit the coverage of the law by voluntarily giving discounts to just 5 million Filipinos. That is a veritable offer to present an alternative solution to the Cheaper Medicines law. The law states that everyone should benefit from lower priced medicines, not just 1.5 million GSIS members or 400,000 indigents under the Philhealth program (the coverage right now of the Sulit Card program). And granting that Pfizer indeed wants to expand the coverage of their sulit cards, 5 million is too small a number just to consider. Why not make it 40 million? And then, further increase it to 60 million then 80 million? Why settle just for 5 million?

These pharmas want to skirt the law and delimit it thru an Executive action. They were unsuccessful in Congress, they're now trying their best to do the lobbying inside Malacanang. And palace occupants are too happy to accommodate them, except Health secretary Francisco Duque.

Duque should be praised by the Filipino People for standing his ground against these multinational companies. Duque categorically stated that "50% price slash or we don't talk." That's the kind of toughness we need at this point. Duque has just shown how government can be effective against these vicious pharmaceutical companies who think that they can just throw their weight around. Of course, these pharmas will still try to lobby when Mrs. Arroyo goes to Washington this July 30, but it remains to be seen whether Mrs. Arroyo would ever compromise government policy over multinational interests.

Malacanang to release Implementing Rules on Cheaper Medicines Law

Executive secretary Eduardo Ermita just announced that they will be releasing implementing rules and regulations on the Cheaper Medicines Law. Question---why the haste? Ermita should resolve the raging controversy regarding the alleged bribery attempt by Pfizer first, before they jump into another issue. It seems that this is just a diversionary tactic meant to dilute the effects of the reported attempted bribery.

And what is this I heard that the US State department will ask Mrs. Arroyo not to implement the Cheaper Medicines Law? It's not surprising since read the Huffington Post how Pfizer uses its contacts in the US State department before to deter the implementation of the law.

By the way, this is now a personal advocacy. I've set up a public service blog titled "Cheap Medicine". You can find it here at http://cheapermedicine.blogspot.com.