DOH eyes measures to bring down rising Tamiflu prices

MANILA, Philippines – Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said his department will coordinate with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to bring down prices of Tamiflu medicines to make them more affordable to people at "high risk" for Influenza A(H1N1).

GMANews.TV reported yesterday that the prices of flu drugs and vaccinations had tripled in some places, leading to charges of price gouging in a time of crisis.

In an interview over radio dzBB, Duque also said they will limit the distribution by local health units of Tamiflu capsules to "high risk" groups.

Duque earlier said high-risk groups include those with uncontrolled diabetes, frank cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; organ transplant recipients; those who are immuno-compromised, those with chronic liver and kidney disease; people suffering from other infections like HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis; pregnant women; and the very young and the elderly.

"May ganoon, P150 pero baka mapagusapan namin ni Sec. [Peter] Favila kung pwede ibaba din ang presyo nito, kaagaran pagbaba ng presyo [We are aware Tamiflu is being sold in drugstores for P150 but I am considering talking with Trade Secretary Peter Favila to see if they can bring down the prices of the medicine]," Duque said in an interview on dzBB radio.

Duque said he has ordered Tamiflu pre-positioned in regional offices, and allocated at the provincial level. But he said the distribution of the capsules will be limited to high-risk groups who have complications.

He said the "mild cases," which comprise 99.8 percent of A(H1N1) cases, only need to rest and practice social distancing.

"Mga 3-5 araw tapos ka na (For mild cases, you will recover in three to five days)," Duque said.

Duque also cautioned the public against prematurely reacting to news reports that some pharmaceutical firms have come out with possible vaccines for A(H1N1), saying such medicines still have to undergo clinical testing lest they produce allergic responses that can be deadly to some people.

But Duque said the Health department will propose a supplemental budget to buy vaccines for A(H1N1) once they become available for public consumption, as they still have no idea how much makers of the vaccines will charge for their products.

"Saka tayo mag-identify ng budget. Kasi ngayon di mo alam magkano ang budget, paano presyo niyan pag walang presyo mahirap magsalita ng presyo eh [We’ll draw up the budget later, when the price comes out. At this point we do not know the price, so we cannot draw up a budget]," he said.

GMANews.TV

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