People’s Tonight – February 16, 2007

“THERE is an urgent need for the passage of House Bill 6035 and the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) has been supporting this bill to reform our patent law and help bring down the cost of medicines in the country.”

This was the statement of Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan, chairman and president of state-owned PITC to media, before the resumption of the hearing yesterday for patent infringement case filed by Pfizer against PITC and Bureau of Food and Drugs before the sala of Judge Cesar Unlalan of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 149.

Pagdanganan said HB 6035 will enable a level playing field in the local pharmaceutical industry and more local companies will be encouraged to join the pharmaceutical sector. He added that the PITC can better serve the public by opening up more Botika ng Bayan outlets and providing more products for the public to choose from.

He added that the passage of the bill will rectify the “error” of suing the government by pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.

The Philippine International Training Corporation was tasked by President Arroyo to reduce the prices of commonly bought medicines by half in 2010. The cost of these medicines today is five to six times higher than those sold in other countries.

Under the program, the Botika ng Bayan will serve as outlets of the pharmaceutical products sourced locally and abroad by the PITC.       

The parallel importation being undertaken by PITC is the government’s strategic response to a regime of high prices of medicines in the country.