Manila Bulletin – May 15, 2007

SEN. Mar Roxas said scrapping the patent of hypertension drug Norvasc in the Philippines could benefit 7.7 million Filipi­nos with hypertension.

Roxas said this in light of the Philippine International Trading Center's (PITC) call for the cancellation of the Philippine patent of Pfizer over Norvasc, following the US court's decision to cancel the same in the United States.

"Hypertensive patients cannot afford to miss their ex­pensive maintenance drugs even for a day. With the can­cellation of the patent over Norvasc, more than 7 million hypertensive patients will benefit through reduced prices," Roxas said.

By canceling that patent, he said, the government may now undertake, without legal impediment, the parallel importation of cheaper versions of amlodipine besylate, or Norvasc. Eventually, local generics manufactures may also be able to put in the market cheaper versions by the multinational giant Pfizer.

He pointed out that the wholesale price of a 5-milli­gram tablet of Norvasc in the Philippines is a whopping P41.41. On the other hand, other countries enjoy much lower process, such as in In­dia with P5.77 per 5mg tablet.

Roxas said 7.76 million Filipinos, or more than 10 percent of the whole population, have hypertension, citing data from the Department of Health.

"Diseases of the heart and the vascular system remain the two top causes of death in the Philippines. Hypertension is the fifth leading cause of morbidity," he noted.

According to the National Statistical Coordination Board in 2004, the morbidity rate is 342,284 patients or 428 for every 100,000 population. Diseases of the heart and of the vascular system have caused the death of 70,138 and 49,519 patients in 2002, respectively.

Roxas said the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had already invalidated the patent of Pfizer over amlodipine besylate, under the brand name of Norvasc. The court has deemed that the drug was" obvious" and not novel.

Following this lead the PITC has petitioned this week before the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) the cancellation of the patent held by Pfizer on Norvasc.