(Note: This is an expanded version of the paper that I wrote last Friday.)
Last Thursday night, the ETHIKOS (Ethics in Healthcare) Movement was launched at C3 Events Place in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. Many participants from different groups and sectors. Some quotes from some speakers that night.
All photos I got from the MeTA Philippines facebook page. Thanks Ian Nuevo.
Last Thursday night, the ETHIKOS (Ethics in Healthcare) Movement was launched at C3 Events Place in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. Many participants from different groups and sectors. Some quotes from some speakers that night.
All photos I got from the MeTA Philippines facebook page. Thanks Ian Nuevo.
Gov. Obet thanked the participants,
particularly the organizations that formed movement – the Medicines
Transparency Alliance (MeTA) Philippines, the Coalition for Health Advocacy and
Transparency (CHAT), and the British Embassy’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(FCO).
Then he introduced the Convenor Group of
the ETHIKOS Movement: (1) Princess Nemenzo of WomanHealth, (2) Celia Carlos of
the Drugstores Association of the Philippines (DSAP), (3) Girlie Lorenzo of
Kythe Foundation, also of the Philippine alliance for Patient Organizations
(PAPO); Tony Leachon of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), and
himself.
He discussed what ETHIKOS is – a
movement to encourage ethics in delivering healthcare to the patients, ethics
in dealing with healthcare professionals and other private players in the sector,
ethics in government.
Dave said that the local pharma industry
is supporting the Mexico City Principles (MCP) for voluntary codes of business
ethics in the biopharmaceutical sector. He introduced a similar term, “Manila
Principles” where the basis of such code of ethics are the Generics Act of 1998
and the Cheaper Medicines Law of 2008 (RA 9502), and the object of such ethics
is the welfare of the patients.
Thus, the Manila Principles should
consider TRIPS flexibilities as contained in RA 9502, avoid whenever possible
prolonged data exclusivity, disallow frivolous patents, allow early working of
soon-expiring patents of innovator drugs. He lamented that many local pharma
companies are small and lesser known compared to big multinational pharma.
Ted narrated that in 1993, the
association introduced and adopted a code of ethics called the PHAP Code of
Practice. He quoted the late Doc Alberto “Quasi” Romualdez (a former DOH
Secretary, founding chairman of MeTA PH) who said that “The most important achievement of PHAP now is that they have made
ethical behaviour an import part of their commitment…”
He emphasized that no amount of health
reform will be truly universal if people and players ignore the consequences of
unethical behaviour. He also expressed support for the FDA to implement the
MCP. Then he mentioned the important role of the innovator companies for
endlessly producing new medicines which help save lives and improve the quality
of life of Filipinos.
Doc Ken discussed certain FDA guidelines
regarding senior government officials (SGOs) who make follow up calls at FDA.
There are four possibilities where SGOs:
(a)
to inquire on behalf of his/her
private sector associates, or determine the status of a rival company
(b)
to request earlier facilitationof
application (expediting or jumping the queue
(c)
to demand aprovals even if the
license or product registration is to be denied, or to demand a denial against
a rival company, and
(d)
to reverse a regulatory
decision.
My comments to some of these points in
my next article about ETHIKOS..
