DOH: Prices of 97 medicine formulations to be halved by end-March

Ninety-seven medicine formulations will be sold at half their prices starting March 31 as part of the implementation of the Cheaper Medicines Law, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday. Dr. Robert Louie So, program manager of the DOH’s pharmaceutical management unit said that the 97 new drugs whose prices would be halved by next month would include medicines for common disorders such as asthma, hypertension and glaucoma, as well as fluids for dialysis. "Most of these medicines are new in terms of therapeutic capabilities. We also added medications for other types of cancers," So told GMANews.TV in a phone interview Friday. "They are the medicines that address common disorders. We really prioritize drugs that have huge price differences, and those that are sold at really high prices compared to their prices in other countries." So added that the country is expected to save at least P1 billion for the inclusion of the 97 medicine formulations in the price cuts. "For this round only, meaning the 97 new products, the nation or both the public and private sector is expected to save P1 billion all in all," he said. — LBG/JVP, GMANews.TV