In support of the economic initiative by the government prioritizing the pharmaceutical industry, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is coordinating with other government agencies in crafting the guidelines for the registration of pharma zones.
Secretary Frederick Go of the Office of the Special Assistant for Investment and Economic Affairs (OSAPIEA) has listed pharmaceutical as one of the five priority sectors that OSAPIEA is promoting, saying the development of more local manufacturing can bring down the cost of medicine and health care.
“PEZA fully supports the priority initiatives for economic transformation as championed by Secretary Frederick Go specifically on the development of pharma zones. We are in full coordination with other government agencies to make sure that this objective meets with success,” said Tereso Panga, PEZA director-general in a message to reporters.
Panga said PEZA will fulfill its mandate of accelerating the implementation of the ecozone transformation roadmap through the creation of different types of economic zones, including pharmaceutical ecozones.
PEZA is reviving talks with the leading Filipino companies into pharmaceutical-related activities such as Lloyd Laboratories, Pascual Laboratories and United Laboratories, Inc., for the establishment of a modern pharma park in the country.
PEZA is coordinating with Department of Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industries in crafting the guidelines registering pharma zones which shall become sites of companies engaged in all aspects of medical and drug manufacturing-related activities, most especially in research and development (R&D), clinical testing and trials.
Panga said the creation of pharma zones will increase investments in medical and drug manufacturing-related.
During a sectoral meeting with the FDA on February 13, President Marcos Jr. floated the idea of establishing pharma zones which will serve as one-stop shops to make the drug application process more accessible and efficient.
Samuel Zacate, FDA director-general, said pharma zones established in PEZA-controlled areas will serve as places where the agency can immediately test and register medicines upon entry to the Philippines.
“We are excited and more than encouraged to be facilitating the establishment of pharma ecozones in the Philippines which will become instrumental in the Administration’s efforts to enhance accessibility to medicines and lower drug prices,” said Panga.
PEZA has an existing memorandum of agreement with the FDA to streamline the applications for permits and licenses to operate for registered business enterprises engaged in the manufacture of food, cosmetic and drug products, including medical devices, and to ensure compliance of ecozone locators to all provisions of the Food and Drug Act of 2009 and other pertinent laws.
There were also talks in 2017 between the Philippine and the Indian governments to set up manufacturing zones in the country for Indian pharmaceutical companies wanting to tap the Asean.
In 2021, PEZA conducted a briefing for the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association given its interest to set up drug manufacturing operations in the Philippines to address the growing local demand for generic medicines.
As of December 2023, PEZA hosts 26 operating companies into the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and medical equipment or devices like Terumo, Arkray Industry, Royale Life Pharma, JMS Healthcare and Philipcare Medical, generating about P25.489 billion of investments and more than 19,000 direct jobs for the country.
In 2021, Malacañang proclaimed PEZA-registered First Bulacan Business Park (FBBP), which is seen to host medical R&D for the manufacturing of innovative, over-the-counter and generic drug products, medical instruments/equipment, and pharma cold chain. FBBP is adjacent to the First Bulacan Industrial City (FBIC) or the Pharma City of the North, which is home to eight pharma-related firms including Lloyd Laboratories, Pascual Laboratories, Lumar Pharmaceutical, Cargill Phils. and Cosmetique Asia. Irma Isip
