From The Daily Tribune
Link: http://www.tribune.net.ph/
If a fish is caught by its mouth, so was Sen. Mar Roxas when he was caught lying on cheap drug issue in a move that is intended to promote the interest of multinational companies, not the ordinary Filipino.
This is according to the man who first filed the cheaper medicine bill in the 13th Congress when he was still a representative who described Roxas as “not the author but the murderer of the Cheaper Medicine Act.”
Former Rep. and now Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico was referring to the press statement issued last Thursday (March 25) by Roxas claiming to be the “primary author” of the Cheaper Medicine Act which the latter claims to have reduced prices of “200 crucial medicines.” The press statement was also posted the same day on the Senate Web site.
Suplico, whose bill was filed even before Roxas became senator, stressed the bill that the latter filed in the 14th Congress (SB 101) was only to allow parallel importation of medicines which would have benefitted more the multinational drug companies.
“I coined the name ‘cheaper medicines’ law, not Mar,” he said.
Suplico, now campaigning to return to his old congressional seat, said Roxas lobbied to make optional and no longer mandatory the price regulation on medicine in the compromise legislation.
“He (Roxas) was trying to protect the multinational companies,” he said. “He was trying to soften the blow.”
Suplico noted that there were reports that multinational companies put up a P1 billion lobby fund, as exposed by other solons like Party-list Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel, to emasculate, if not kill, price control of drugs.
“I dont know if Senator Roxas received anything, but I am sure I did not get a single centavo,” he said.
Suplico revealed that Roxas got his way in emasculating the original proposal allegedly by threatening that no cheaper medicine bill will be passed as long as he was the Senate trade committee chairman.
This law did not result in the reduction of prices of 200 medicines but only of 22 drugs, said Suplico who stressed that fact can be verified with the Department of Health and is of public record.
The Suplico bill, which was later refiled by Rep. Ferjenel Biron and adopted by the House, sought automatic price regulation of items in the Philippine Drug Formulary which could have resulted in the prise reduction of 1,500 medicines and not just 22 or 200.
Further, the House version would have reduced medicine prices by 80-90 percent, not just 50 percent in accordance with the watered-down law caused by the lobbying efforts of Roxas, Suplico said.
He cited Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, whose price went down from P44 each tablet to P22 after the law was passed, could have cost only P4.40 each.
Link: http://www.tribune.net.ph/
If a fish is caught by its mouth, so was Sen. Mar Roxas when he was caught lying on cheap drug issue in a move that is intended to promote the interest of multinational companies, not the ordinary Filipino.
This is according to the man who first filed the cheaper medicine bill in the 13th Congress when he was still a representative who described Roxas as “not the author but the murderer of the Cheaper Medicine Act.”
Former Rep. and now Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico was referring to the press statement issued last Thursday (March 25) by Roxas claiming to be the “primary author” of the Cheaper Medicine Act which the latter claims to have reduced prices of “200 crucial medicines.” The press statement was also posted the same day on the Senate Web site.
Suplico, whose bill was filed even before Roxas became senator, stressed the bill that the latter filed in the 14th Congress (SB 101) was only to allow parallel importation of medicines which would have benefitted more the multinational drug companies.
“I coined the name ‘cheaper medicines’ law, not Mar,” he said.
Suplico, now campaigning to return to his old congressional seat, said Roxas lobbied to make optional and no longer mandatory the price regulation on medicine in the compromise legislation.
“He (Roxas) was trying to protect the multinational companies,” he said. “He was trying to soften the blow.”
Suplico noted that there were reports that multinational companies put up a P1 billion lobby fund, as exposed by other solons like Party-list Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel, to emasculate, if not kill, price control of drugs.
“I dont know if Senator Roxas received anything, but I am sure I did not get a single centavo,” he said.
Suplico revealed that Roxas got his way in emasculating the original proposal allegedly by threatening that no cheaper medicine bill will be passed as long as he was the Senate trade committee chairman.
This law did not result in the reduction of prices of 200 medicines but only of 22 drugs, said Suplico who stressed that fact can be verified with the Department of Health and is of public record.
The Suplico bill, which was later refiled by Rep. Ferjenel Biron and adopted by the House, sought automatic price regulation of items in the Philippine Drug Formulary which could have resulted in the prise reduction of 1,500 medicines and not just 22 or 200.
Further, the House version would have reduced medicine prices by 80-90 percent, not just 50 percent in accordance with the watered-down law caused by the lobbying efforts of Roxas, Suplico said.
He cited Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, whose price went down from P44 each tablet to P22 after the law was passed, could have cost only P4.40 each.
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