MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order setting maximum retail price on certain medicines.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed Monday President Duterte’s signing of EO 104, which is aimed at improving the Filipinos’ access to affordable medicines.
Senate Health Committee chairperson Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, said in a radio interview that the EO complements the Republic Act No. 9502, or the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008, which provides for the imposition of a limit on prices of medicines.
“Matagal na po itong batas na ito,” Go said in an interview with DZMM. “Alam naman natin na maraming pong mga kababayan natin ang nangangailangan ng gamot…no choice sila minsan ‘no, kaya bumili na lang po ng gamot, kahit mahal.”
“Hangarin po ng Pangulong Duterte na humaba ang kanilang buhay. Tulad nitong mga medisina para sa diabetes hypertension, cancer at iba’t iba pang gamot,” added the former Presidential aide.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier said its price regulation proposal covered medicines for hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung diseases, neonatal diseases and major cancers, high cost treatments for chronic renal disease, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Prices of selected medicines are expected to have a mean reduction of 56 percent from the prevailing market prices once the EO takes effect, the DOH said in September last year./PN
