Gov’t triples generic drugs imports

By Katrina Valdez, Reporter

Manila Times – February 14, 2007

The Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) plans to increase the importation of drugs by more than threefold to encourage the establishment of more drugstores selling affordable medicines.

The PITC will raise its procurement of medicines from P115 million to P400 million by the end of March, PITC President and Chairman Roberto Pagdanganan told a roundtable at The Manila Times office on Tuesday.

The aim is “to attract more businessmen and pharmacists to put up their own drugstores [Botika ng Bayan]. We are targeting a total of 30,000 outlets in 2010,” Pagdanganan said.

He said the PITC will also increase the brands of medicines it will import from 30 to 70.

Cecilia Sison, PITC vice-president for business development, said the PITC has a total of 1,200 Botika ng Bayan stores all over the country, but they make up as few as two percent of the total Philippine drug market of P100 billion.

“Before the year ends we plan to increase our drugstores by 800 outlets,” Pagdanganan said.

PITC imports medicines mainly from India for a much lower price and distribute it to Botika outlets.

Recently, however, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer sued the PITC and the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) for distributing Norvasc (amlodipine besylate) allegedly without the authority of the patent owner.

Norvasc is being sold at major drugstores for P45 a tablet, while its generic version sells for only P17.50 in Unilab Philippines.

Pagdanganan said only 3 to 4 percent of the population buys generic medicines, “unlike in the US and other countries where majority of the population buys generic drugs.”

He said that under the PITC program the price of Ponstan (mefenamic acid ponstel), which sells for P25 per capsule, could be brought down to as low as P11.50.

Botika ng Bayan stores actually earn from selling low-priced medicines, “so it’s good business,” Pagdanganan said.

Sison said that in order to set up 30,000 drug outlets in 2010, the country needs at least 1,000 new pharmacists a year.

PITC officials revealed that the drug industry in the Philippines is 70 percent controlled by foreign companies.

“The problem is that ordinary people are being discouraged to buy generic medicines and convinced to be skeptical if medicines they purchase are very cheap. We have to enlighten the people that that is not true,” Pagdanganan said.