Salceda files bill to lower prices of medicines, put cap on prices of medical supplies

Albay Representative Joey Salceda on Thursday filed a measure seeking to bring down the price of medicines and set a cap on the prices of necessary medical supplies like wheelchairs and medical masks.

Salceda has filed House Bill 6219, or the proposed "Affordable Medicines, Medical Equipment and Supplies Act," which he said is "literally lifesaving and lifegiving," "pro-poor," and "pro-PWD [persons with disability."

The measure seeks to amend RA 9502, or the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008," more commonly known as the "Cheaper Medicines Law."

According to Salceda, the problem with RA 9502 is that although it sets the maximum drug retail price (MDRP), poor Filipinos are still unable to buy medicines.

"The richest half of the population account for 65% of all expenditures on healthcare. And those under poverty line spend only 10% of health expenditures. Ibig sabihin, ang mahirap, hindi pa rin nakakabili ng gamot,” Salceda said, citing data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey for 2015.

“The MDRP helps those who can buy medicine in the first place. For those who cannot buy medicine, mahal pa rin basta mataas ang MDRP," he added.

Under Salceda's bill, the Secretary of Health is given the authority to negotiate prices of all medicines, medically-necessary assistive equipment, and medical supplies procured by the government.

This, in turn, will push companies to lower the prices of medicines if they want to have them sold in the Philippines, considering that the government will be a single-pay system in the Universal Health Care Law.

“Kung mahal kasi ang gamot, tapos hindi naman natin gagamitin ang bargaining power ng gobyerno, lolobo ang kailangan nating pondo para sa UHC. As Ways and Means Chair, it is my responsibility to ensure that priority programs are funded. That includes, whenever possible, lowering the price of government programs for the same quality of service,” Salceda said.

“Yung MDRP kasi, while it sets essentially a price ceiling on the price of medicines, kung mataas naman yung MDRP, mataas pa rin yung kailangang bayaran. We should optimize the bargaining power of the state under a single-payer system," he added.

Salceda said that through his bill, the state will be able to buy more medicines, hence more medicine will be given to the poor.

At the same time, Salceda's measure also urges the Philippine National Drug Formulary to encourage the use of generics as much as possible, and to include best practices in prescribing and discouraging the use of ineffective, dangerous, or excessively costly medications when there are better alternatives.

"The system will still be primarily market-based, but we will no longer allow branded and expensive medicines to drive prices up. Kumbaga, wala na whims ng market lang, may mas malawak na control na ang taumbayan," he said.

"If companies want access to the Philippine market, they will have to produce the most effective drugs at the cheapest price they can sell at,” he added.

Salceda also said "medically-necessary assistive equipment” like wheelchairs and  prosthetics and medical supplies such as surgical masks and syringes are included in the MDRP.

“Ang konsepto kasi ng public health noon sa Pilipinas, sakit lang. We have not thought of disability or of prevention as part of public health. This bill puts and end to that. That’s why it is literally lifesaving and lifegiving,” he said.

“Kung kasama sana sa MDRP ang surgical masks, halimbawa, nalimitahan sana natin ang overpricing na nakikita natin ngayon," he added.

Salceda said that while the Cheaper Medicines Law was successful in bringing down the costs of medicines, it is already the time to expand it.

"The spirit of my bill is simple: Cheaper Medicines for UHC. Cheaper Medicines for All. Period. Not just for those who can buy," he said. — BM, GMA News