Acronym acrimony over drug prices

MANILA, Philippines - The controversy over a move by the government to make essential drugs affordable to the public has degenerated into an acronym spat between Senator Manuel Roxas II and an official of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Taking a dig on Roxas' perceived fondness of mentioning the acronym MRP, which stands for maximum retail price, deputy presidential spokesperson Anthony Golez said the senator was probably thinking of his Mar-Roxas-for-President political campaign line. Roxas had announced his intention to run for the country’s highest post in 2010, most likely as standard bearer of the Liberal Party. In response, Roxas suggested changing the acronym instead to GMA for Gamot na Mura’t Abot-kaya (cheaper and affordable medicines) just to get President Arroyo to sign the executive order that would lower the price of 21 essential medicines. "Let’s just change the MRP to GMA to facilitate its immediate signing by President Arroyo," said Roxas, primary author of the Universally Accessible, Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law, in a press statement Wednesday. He said it seems Mrs. Arroyo’s allies are making an issue out of the acronym. Malacañang officials have earlier accused Roxas of grandstanding for having President Arroyo "invited" by a joint congressional oversight panel to shed light on her alleged collusion with multinational drug companies in a rearguard move to keep the prices of essential medicines high. In a phone-patch interview with GMA Network news program Unang Hirit Tuesday, Golez denied that President Arroyo was dragging her foot in signing the MRP, and he lashed at Roxas for projecting himself as the only person trying hard to bring the prices of medicines down. "We should remember that President Arroyo certified the then Cheaper Medicines bill as urgent," Golez said. But Roxas, who was a guest on Unang Hirit on Tuesday, denied accusations that he was grandstanding on the MRP issue. A signature away "Mrs. President, stop being jealous of me because of this Cheaper Medicines law, you are too insecure. The credit is now yours, just sign the EO. Let us give what they want so prices of medicines would now go down," Roxas said. The senator said the maximum retail price of medicines is just President Arroyo’s signature away from implementation. The Department of Health transmitted the draft executive on the MRP to the Office of the President as early as June 16. A month has passed now but the EO has yet to be signed by Mrs. Arroyo, he noted. "You only need one ballpen to do this. If you have the time to meet with pharmaceutical companies and travel abroad, then spend even one minute to sign the EO," Roxas added. The proposed EO would allow the halving of the prices of essential medicines, such as the anti-hypertensive drug Norvasc (to P22.50 from P44.50); anti-diabetic Diamicron (to P7.35 from P14.75); antibiotic Zithromax (to P149.37 from P298.75); and antibiotic Augmentin suspension 60 ml (to P179.50 from P359). Mrs. Arroyo deferred the signing of the EO after a meeting with multinational pharmaceutical companies on July 8. Reiner Gloor, executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), confirmed the July 8 meeting during the bicameral hearing on the delay in the implementation of Cheaper Medicines. He said it was not a secret meeting and they did not ask President Arroyo not to sign the order. "We did not ask her not to sign the MRP. We questioned if the MRP is necessary and if there is a better way to achieve it (better access and affordability of medicines)," Gloor said. He said the President told them that if they cannot come up with something commendable and good, she will have to sign the MRP. He said Mrs. Arroyo gave them 10 days to do it. Before the meeting with Mrs. Arroyo, representatives of pharmaceutical companies met with Secretary Ermita and Trade Undersecretary Thomas Aquino on July 2. Gloor said the meeting was arranged by Albert Mateo Jr., president and country manager of Pfizer Philippines. Other attendees in the meeting were representatives from Roche, GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi. He claimed that the meeting centered on the proposed executive order on MRP and if it was possible to have alternatives to it. On the other hand, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday said there could be further delay in implementation of the Cheaper Medicines law even if drug companies submit their letter of undertaking on Saturday because the agency still has to review it. - Amita O. Legaspi, GMANews.TV