60-70% reduction in drug prices next month: Minister
The prices of essential medicinal drugs are likely to come down by 60 – 75 percent from next month when the long-delayed bill for the implementation of the National Medicinal Drugs Policy (NMDP) comes into operation, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.
Dr. Senaratne told a Cabinet news briefing on Friday the draft bill, delayed for more than ten years, was finally ready and the national unity government was determined to go ahead.
In terms of the NMPD bill a new National Medicinal Regulatory Authority (NMDRA) will review more than 15,000 drugs that have now been registered and reduce the number to around 1000 essential drugs with different strength.
The 13 members to be appointed to the NMDRA will include medcial and pharmacological experts and others including a repre- sentatives of patients movement. All members would need to declare they have no conflict of interest, meaning no involvement with any pharmaceutical company.
Initially, till the new law starts working smoothly doctors will be allowed to prescribe a brand name if they believe the patient needs it, but will have to write the generic name of the drug as well.
At present about 15,000 varieties of drugs –thousands of them non essential and being imported under highly expensive brand names –have been registered for prescription and sale. In terms of the new law the number will be cut down to around 1000, in keeping with Professor Senaka Bibile’s essential medicines concept.
By slashing the number of imported drugs, Sri Lanka will be able to save millions of dollars in foreign exchange annouaaly, while the people will have access to quality drugs at affordable prices.
The Health Minister said the intention of the government was to make most of the essential drugs locally through the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corposation (SPMC) and other local industries so that Sri Lanka could be largely self-sufficient in medicinal drugs within 5 years.
According to Dr. Senaratne, big pharma or agents of transnational pharmaceutical giants are still trying to sabotage or dilute the NMDP bill.
He called on the people and health action groups to be vigilant and ensure that big pharam was not allowed to sabotage the law down the line.
Dr. Senaratne and president Maithripala Sirisena who was health minister for the past three years had alleged that big pharma last year paid as much as Rs. 1000 million to certain VIPs to make the earlier draft bill disappear. They said they would name and shame the VIPs concerned but Dr. Seneratne said on Friday it was difficult to gather substantial evidence because such acts were carried out in subtle ways.
Suspected sabotage was reported even over the latest draft bill which is to be presented in parliament this month. A committee of experts headed by Professor Lal Jayakody, Head of the Department of Pharmacology in the Colombo Medical Faculty had sent the final draft to the Chief Legal Draftsman’s department to be given the final touches in November last year. A committee member said when the draft came back, they found that three important clauses had been deleted. These were the clauses relating to the cost of the drugs, any conflict of interest relating to the members of the NMDRA and the generic priscriptions. The chief legal draftsman had claimed the deletios were unintentional but the committee said only a person with a deep knowledge of pharmacology could have omitted these clauses.
Last year also a draft bill sent to the then chief legal draftswoman had disappeared soon after she retired. The then Health Minioster and present President accused her of making the draft disappear on the influence of pharmaceutical giants but she denied it and said officials of the health ministry had made it disappear.
Whatever happened or did not happen a final draft has now appeared in legislative form and the minister said he hoped that despite challenges from vested interests the NMDP law would help restore a health service where the well being of patients is given priority