PRESS RELEASE
29 APRIL 2008
The consumer group, Cut the Cost, Cut the Pain Network (3CPNet) lauds the members of Congress for passing this landmark bill that will pave the way for affordable and quality life-saving medicines for the people.
“The public health interest prevailed over the profit interests of big pharmaceutical companies that tried to derail the passage of the law since day one. The final bill may still lack some of the measures that will ultimately provide the consumers with lower cost but of the same quality of generic medicines and Congress can persevere to pass the other measures in the future,” said Edeliza Hernandez, Co-Convenor of 3CPNet.
3CPNet earlier criticized the Senate panel for insisting that the generics only provision be dropped from the final text of the bill. Senator Pia Cayetano opposed this provision and prevailed over the other members of the committee.
“We laud the members of the House of Representatives for standing their ground on the Generics Act amendment because this is one of the measures for the public to have access to affordable and quality medicines and increase the poor patients’ chance of recovering from their illness,” said Hernandez.
According to Hernandez, the Senate panel, particularly Sen. Pia Cayetano made a lot of unfounded objections, unviable requirements and other conditions that prevented the generics only provision from being passed.
“We will propose to Congress other legislative measures including the Generics Act amendments to ensure that the public health safeguards contained in the cheaper medicines bill will bring ultimate benefit to poor patients,” said Hernandez.
