Last Wednesday, an email from James Auste (below),
founder and Executive Director of Cancer Warriors Foundation (CWF) was
forwarded by email by the Secretary General MeTA Philippines, Ms. Cecile Sison,
to members of the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) PH, Coalition for
Health Advocacy and Transparency (CHAT), ETHIKOS and Alternative Budget
Initiative (ABI) Health cluster. I am a member of MeTA PH and CHAT so I saw it.
The email therefore was widely circulated to many
stakeholders in the PH health sector – government, industry players, NGOs, academe.
James is asking for another round of drug price dictatorship aka price control.
Price dictatorship is the subject of my book in 2011, Health Choices and
Responsibilities, and it is a policy that I will always oppose.
James addressed his letter to the President/CEO of
Pfizer, but it was distributed to various network in the health sector, so it is implicit that he also addressed it to
us, hoping that other stakeholders in the health sector will support his call
for a new round of drug price control, but targeted to only one medicine, Lipitor.
I posted these comments by email to members of CHAT and
MeTA PH early today. Reposting it here.
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James wrote,
(1) “SABI NG MGA BATA,HINDI KAMI HUMIHINGI NG AMING GAMOT
PERO PARA SA AMING MGA LOLO AT LOLANA GUMAGAMIT NG LIPITOR!”
O, this is new.
The children cancer patients are now lobbying part time not to get cheaper
cancer medicines for themselves,, but to get cheaper Lipitor for their
grandparents. And soon maybe, they will also lobby for cheaper Norvasc for
their parents, cheaper Augmentin for their older siblings and relatives?
(2) ANG ANNUAL SALES NG LI[PITOR AY 750MILLION PESOS!
NUMBER 1 IN THE MARKET! AT NUMBER 1 PA ATA SA BUONG MUNDO!
Good data, but Pfizer themselves gave this data to James?
Or IMS did, or someone who dislikes Pfizer and has access to industry data did?
(3) “PARA general health and well-being of every Filipino
( NA CORE VALUE RIN NG PFIZER) IBABA NATIN SA 14 PESOS ANG 10MG AT 17 PESOS ANG
2OMG!”
O, part 2 of price control. Part 1 was made in August
2009 under the administration of former President Arroyo. Price control
is price dictatorship. Government regulators – the DOH and DTI in
particular, backed up by the Office of the President, Congress, LGUs, etc. –
would act as the price dictators. Those who will not obey the dictated price
will be harassed and penalized.
Btway, it was former DOH Secretary Duque and DTI Secretary
Favila who coined the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Price (GMAP), aka
Government-Mediated Access Price, an illegal term (not in RA 9502, not in the
IRR) which until now is being used, four
years after GMA’s term has ended.
I am not exactly a great fan of Pfizer. I am more a fan
of “boycott medicines”, innovator or generic, whenever possible and have
healthy lifestyle instead. But I will
always be an enemy of government
dictatorship including price control, wage control, fare control, rent
control, income control (via high income taxes).
The call for another round of drug price control or price
dictatorship is lousy James. Better
focus your energy on lobbying for cheaper childhood cancer medicines. You are
more effective there.
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DEAR SIR/MAM PRESIDENT/CEO OF PFIZER!
HI AT MABUHAY! I AM JAMES AUSTE A BRAIN CANCER WARRIOR!
PATIENT ADVOCATE! FOUNDER! EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CANCER WARRIORS
FOUNDATION! SINCE JUNE 2000 WE HAVE SUPPORTED AT LEAST 1000 KIDS WITH CANCER AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THEIR BATTLE FOR
LIFE! RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 400 SCHOLARS UNDER OUR CARE FROM PAMPANGA TO DAVAO!
SABI NG MGA BATA,HINDI KAMI HUMIHINGI NG AMING GAMOT PERO
PARA SA AMING MGA LOLO AT LOLANA GUMAGAMIT NG LIPITOR!
SABI RAW NI LOLA AT LOLA NIYA 34 PESOS ATA SA MERCURY!
ANG 10MG! 39PESOS ANG 20MG! DAHIL SA MDRP(MAXIMUM DRUG RETAIL PROGRAM) NUNG
2009! ANG DATA NATIN NA NAHANAP NAKITA
AT NABASA NG ATING SENIOR WARRIORS
ANG ANNUAL SALES
NG LI[PITOR AY 750MILLION PESOS! NUMBER 1 IN THE MARKET! AT NUMBER 1 PA ATA SA
BUONG MUNDO!
MAM SIR BAKA PASOK NA SA ATING CORE VALUE NA MAXIMIZE
REVENUES AND MANAGE COSTS! ANG REVENUE NA ITO
PARA general health and well-being of every Filipino ( NA
CORE VALUE RIN NG PFIZER) IBABA NATIN SA 14 PESOS ANG 10MG AT 17 PESOS ANG
2OMG!
BAKIT GANUN KABABA DAHIL SA MASIGASIG NA PANANALIKSIK NG
ATING SENIOR WARRIORS MAY BAGO RAW TAYONG GAMOT NA TAWAG AY Rhea GALING DAW SA
AMERIKA!
PERO SAME DRUGSTORE MAGBEBENTA--MERCURY DRUG STORE-NUMBER
1 SA PINAS
SAME MANUFACTURER--PFIZER
SAME ADDRESS--KM 1.9 ROAD 689, VEGA BAJA, PUERTO RICO USA
SAME PACKER-PFIZER MANUFACTURING DEUTSCHLAND GMBH,
BETRIEBSSATTE, FREIBURG MOOSWALDALLEE1, FREIBURG, GERMANY
SAME IMPORTER-PFIZER,INC- 23RD FL, AYALA LIFE-FGU CENTER,
6811 AYALA AVENUE, MAKATI CITY
SAME SA SUKAT, KULAY, AT PAREHO PA ANG MARKING NA PO156
PAREHO LAHAT PERO ANG PANG PINAG KAIBA AY 20 PESOS SA
10MG! 60% CHEAPER NG LIPITOR! ANG 20MG 55% CHEAPER!
MALIIT SA INYO PERO MALAKI SA MGA MAY SAKIT NG PUSO NA
ARAW ARAW ANG GAMIT NG GAMOT NA ITO
MALIIT SA INYO PERO MARAMING MATUTULONG SA ATING SENIORS
AT MAY PANG JEEP PEDICAB, O MRT PAPUNTA SA MERCURY!
MALIIT SA INYO PERO MARAMING MABUBUHAY SA BENTE PESOS
SABI NG ATING SENIOR WARRIORS LIPITOR ANG GUSTO NAMIN
KESA RHEA KASI BAKA
IBA ANG TAMA SA AMING MGA PUSO
IBA ANG TAMA SA
AMING MGA KATAWAN
IBA ANG AMING PATUTUTUNGUHAN
KAYA ANG AMING PANAWAGAN
SA PAMAHALAAN SIR MAM SANA I SUPPORT NIYO AY PAG ARALAN ANG SECTION 5
EO821 ".... MEDICINES,,, SHALL BE REVIEWED AFTER 3 -6 MONTHS BY THE
DOH"KASI 5 YEARS NA PALA ANG MDRP! AT WALANG PANG NAG RE REQUEST NG
REVIEW!
PANAHON NA PARA BIGYAN NG PANSIN ANG ISA PANG HINAING(BUKOD SA CHILDHOOD CANCER)
SA ATING LIPUNAN NA WALA PANG PUMAPANSIN ANG HINAING NG ATING MGA LOLO AT LOLA!
NA KAILANGAN NG LIPITORFOR LIFE!
KONTING
SAKRIPISYO MARAMING MAGBEBENIPISYO!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!
WILL BE HOPING AND PRAYING FOR A POSITIVE RESPONSE!
INGAT GODBLESS!
JAMES AUSTE
BRAIN CANCER WARRIOR
PATIENT ADVOCATE
FOUNDER ONLY MEMBER OF CANCER WARRIORS SENIORS TEAM!SAMA
NA!
**THIS WILL BE THE FIRST PROJECT OF THE CWF SENIORS TEAM!
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See also:
Drug Price Control 37: Four Years of the Policy, August 16, 2013
Drug Price Control 38: Presentation at USC, Cebu, March 2010, March 01, 2014
Drug Price Control 39: Presentation at USC, Cebu, March 2014, March 25, 2014
ETHIKOS 2: Pharma Companies and Patients, April 01, 2014
UHC 24: Corruption in Government Purchase of Medicines, April 02, 2014
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