DOH pushes for transparency in the pharmaceutical industry

Knowing the prevailing price of your medicines and where to get them with one click will now be possible as the Department of Health announced that it has started implementing early this month its Electronic Drug Price Monitoring System, which allows for greater transparency in the pharmaceutical sector by providing information on drugs and medicines for consumers nationwide.

"The EDPMS is an online system where the drug industry can electronically report their prices and/or inventory of drugs on a monthly basis to the DOH. Out of this, a Price Medicine Report can be generated and be made available to the public," revealed DOH Assistant Secretary Paulyn Ubial.

Data from the EDPMS can likewise be used by PhilHealth in the establishment of its drug reference price index for drug reimbursement and by health institutions, both public and private, in their procurement as well as in their planning and decision-making processes.

The DOH will regularly release and post the Quarterly PMR and Annual Factsheet on the DOH website at www.doh.gov.ph. The initial PMR will be released on December 2011, and posted on the DOH website and in newspapers of general circulation.

"The Price Medicines Report will be very useful to consumers or patients. This can guide them where certain medicines are available and how much they cost," explained Asec. Ubial.

Information that will be uploaded by drug manufacturers, distributors, drugstores, and hospital pharmacies during the first working days of the month includes drug prices and inventories. Meanwhile, drugstore chains with more than four outlets will be asked to comply effective January 2012.

Administrative sanctions shall be imposed for those who fail to submit the required data on the time specified without justifiable reason, provided that such failure does not fall on any of the activities defined as illegal acts of price manipulation, in which case the penalty provided for under Republic Act (RA) No. 7581 or RA No. 9502 will hold.

The EDPMS was established by virtue of RA No. 9502, also known as the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008, which mandates the DOH to ensure universal access to medicines and establish this drug price monitoring system. The Administrative Order was jointly formulated by the DOH, Department of Trade and Industry, Intellectual Property Office, and Food and Drugs Administration.

"The DOH, with its partner agencies, is very much committed in implementing EDPMS as this is one of the tools that will promote transparency in the pharmaceutical industry to improve access to essential medicines among our countrymen," Ubial concluded. (gov.ph)