The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) welcomed the recommendation of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) to fast-track approvals for 14 essential medicines to further reduce costs for patients, PHAP Executive Director Teodoro Padilla said in a statement on Sunday.
The group was reacting to a March 6 meeting in Malacañang of the PSAC Healthcare Sector, which among others advocated the fast-tracked approval of the 14 essential medicines. Padilla said the medicines target priority diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and various cancers.
PHAP, which represents the biopharmaceutical sector in the country, did not provide a list but said these are medicines that patient groups, public hospitals and medical societies applied for availability in public hospitals.
PHAP added the medicines have been previously approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but are only available in private hospitals and retail pharmacies.
“PHAP believes that the swift approval of these medicines will significantly improve the health outcomes of Filipinos, ensuring that those suffering from these conditions can receive the necessary treatment without delay,” Padilla said in the statement.
The association said the medicines will have to go through Health Technology Assessment, which aims to guide the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on the coverage of these medicines.
Once approved, these medicines may also be considered for review and inclusion in the Philippine National Formulary Essential Medicines List (PNF-EML), eventually allowing PhilHealth to develop benefit packages to lower out-of-pocket costs to patients, Padilla said.
“These recommendations are designed to enhance the accessibility of medicines for Filipinos, particularly in addressing the growing burden of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and various forms of cancer among others,” Padilla added.
On its website, the DOH said the PNF is a list of more than 350 essential drugs, which serves as reference by PhilHealth to finance quality health care services being provided to all Filipinos.
PHAP recognizes that this recommendation is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitment to expand and increase the benefits provided by PhilHealth to improve the overall health results for Filipinos, Padilla said.
In a statement on March 8, the PSAC Healthcare Sector said discussions at the meeting held in Malacañang focused on policy reforms and strategic initiatives. Other proposals focused on outcome-based regulations to streamline hospital renewal processes to address hospital bed deficit amid increasing demand, the expansion of community pharmacies, particularly in underserved regions and the expansion of benefit packages.
