Shame on you
Posted: 3:32 AM | May 11, 2006

Conrado R. Banal III
Inquirer

PFIZER, the world's biggest drug company, wrote me to answer the column last May 2. Here is the letter, signed by Karen Villanueva, corporate affairs director, in full:

"For your kind information, the lawsuit against PITC [Philippine International Trading Corp.] and BFAD [Bureau of Food and Drug] was filed after lengthy negotiations initiated by Pfizer failed to ensure that its intellectual property rights would be enforced and that the authenticity of the proposed imported product would be guaranteed. The approval granted, allowed sourcing Norvasc from the authorized distributors in India and Pakistan, raising serious questions about the genuineness and integrity of the product sought to be imported.

"If you are not aware yet, in the Philippines, importation and use of commercial samples of patented compound for the purpose of seeking registration thereof are not allowed. Thus, Pfizer was constrained to seek the assistance of the courts to ensure that this violation is not repeatedly done. You can refer to the case record as your reference for this subject as the same is accessible to the public.

"It might also interest you to note that PITC was able to register Norvasc in only three months, not 18 months as claimed. Thus, the accusation that Pfizer seeks to maintain monopoly of Norvasc 18 months after the expiration of the said product's patent is actually baseless.

"Despite the above and the violation having already [been] committed, Pfizer is still continuing its efforts to seek a positive resolution [of] this matter that will guarantee … patients' access to legitimate Pfizer medicines while also ensuring that the rights of patent holders, local and multinational, under Philippine laws, are upheld.

"Regarding the statement on the difference in pricing of Norvasc in the Philippines compared to other Asian countries, we believe that Pfizer products are appropriately priced and reflect the value that these bring to patients. Norvasc is in fact moderately priced in the Philippines. Its price is in the mid-range among the 20 most popular anti-hypertensive medications available in the market today.

"Prices of medicine vary from one country to another, just as prices of sugar, rice and power, for example, are quite different in the Philippines compared with other countries in Asia. Pricing can be influenced by various factors including fluctuation of currency exchange rates, taxes to import medicines, cost of manufacturing inputs, domestic inflation rate, local competitive conditions within the industry, and a public health insurance system that could subsidize the cost of medicines.

"Pfizer has also established innovative patient programs that improve access to its lifesaving medicines such as Norvasc by providing substantial discounts and relevant disease management information to benefit tens of thousands of Filipino patients nationwide."