Palace to sign cheaper medicines law Friday

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria M. Arroyo is scheduled to sign this Friday the cheaper medicines bill, the long-delayed measure that seeks to relax existing patent rules to enhance access to low-priced medicines from other countries. A schedule from the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office showed that the President will sign the measure in Sta. Cruz Laguna, coinciding with ceremonies for the upgraded Laguna Provincial Hospital. The bill was supposed to lapse into law on June 27, but the President has opted to sign it on June 6. Cabinet members and lawmakers are expected to attend the event. The measure, officially called the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008," seeks to bar the granting of new patents based only on newly discovered uses of an ingredient of an existing drug. It also allows the President to set price ceilings on various drugs, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Health. The measure also allows the parallel importation of lower-priced drugs from countries like India and Pakistan and allows generics manufacturers to test, produce and register their generic versions of patented drugs, so these can be sold after their patent lapses. The cheaper medicines bill is a priority measure listed by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council. It was bypassed during the 13th Congress due to lack of time and quorum. Congress ratified the measure last month. — Alexis Douglas B. Romero