Pages

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Drug Price Control 44, News stories in 2019 on DPC

Some news reports about drug price control (DPC) in Philippine media in 2019 that I saw. My regular readers know of course my position -- price control (medicines, chicken, rice, coffee,...) is price dictatorship. It is very distortionary and will only worsen a situation, fictional or real, not solve a problem.

(This photo from European pharma review.)
-------------

Magic potions and medicine men
CTALK - Cito Beltran (The Philippine Star ) - October 2, 2019 - 12:00am

The Department of Health (DOH) recently announced a radical price cut of 50% or more on 124 kinds of medicines, as well as certain procedures related to renal disease and cancer treatments. Normally, people would be saying WOW! But that did not happen; in fact the media gave it a mere one-day mention in the news….

The DOH and government should first focus on the need for early consultation, bringing down the high cost of procedures and laboratory examinations etc. I heard about a hospital administrator who explained how he brought a major hospital from bankruptcy to profit “by making it a policy that patients undergo a barrage of examinations during the first 24 or 48 hours of admission. That is when the hospital makes the biggest profit margin, after that the hospital is nothing more than an inexpensive hotel”.

Pharma industry pledges lower medicine prices
By: Tina G. Santos - Reporter / @santostinaINQPhilippine Daily Inquirer / 03:58 AM October 14, 2019

“We share the same objective with the Department of Health (DOH) to lower medicine prices. We are exploring partnerships and we want to work hand in hand with the DOH in making quality medicines and health care services more accessible,” said Teodoro Padilla, executive director of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP).

Padilla said the industry would ask for a meeting with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to harmonize their effort not just in lowering medicine prices by up to 84 percent for various disease categories but also in ensuring that patients were supported throughout their journey.

Pharma wants bigger budget for UHC
Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star ) - October 14, 2019 - 12:00am

“We hope to discuss existing high-impact patient assistance programs by individual PHAP members that give free screening and diagnostic tests, education and counseling and special medicine pricing for patients to lower total treatment cost,” Padilla said in a statement.

Citing a study on the impact of the first round of the maximum retail price (MRP) in 2009, Padilla said the poor did not fully benefit from it.
Padilla said strong health insurance systems are needed to cover for the medicine and health care expenses that would have been taken from the family’s savings.

Pharma companies offer to cut drug prices
Janella Paris
Published 3:05 PM, October 25, 2019

MANILA, Philippines – At least 18 multinational pharmaceutical companies are in talks with the Department of Health (DOH) to reduce prices of drugs for “major non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and rare disorders” like diabetes and high blood pressure.

In a statement Thursday, October 24, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) said some members met with DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III and patient organizations earlier this week to discuss lowering medicine prices…

PHAP also said its members would offer medical assistance programs for more “holistic and comprehensive assistance” to patients. These programs would assist patients from diagnosis, to treatment, to monitoring. PHAP members include multinational companies like GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Zuellig Pharma.

PHAP: Price control on medicine detrimental to patients
Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star ) - December 5, 2019 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Imposing price controls on medicines will be detrimental to patients, pharmacists and drug stores, the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) said yesterday.

PHAP executive director Teodoro Padilla said having price ceilings on medicines would “kill small retailers and force manufacturers to reconsider plans to launch new medicine in the country.”

“Drug companies may even withdraw existing products, hurting patients instead of helping them,” Padilla said.
----------------

I also wrote four articles last year on DPC:

Universal healthcare via lower medicine taxes and tariffs
September 18, 2019 | 6:50 pm
My Cup Of Liberty
By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr.

The DoH budget and drug price control
October 2, 2019 | 11:52 pm
My Cup Of Liberty
By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr.

Bureaucracy control and drug price control
November 4, 2019 | 8:48 pm
My Cup Of Liberty
By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr.

Price control, fare control and tax decontrol
December 18, 2019 | 10:40 pm
My Cup Of Liberty
By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr.
-----------------

See also:

No comments:

Post a Comment