E-drug: Feeding the beast? (cont'd)
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Greetings from the Philippines, where the prices of drugs are not high
but painfully exorbitant relative to our income. I was initially reluctant
to contribute to the discussion that has been going around regarding
drug prices. The thoughts and comments articulated by highly
respectable researchers like David Henry, an erstwhile mentor during
my pursuit of a master degree in Australia, can rather be intimidating
and awesome in the eyes of a third world wannabe. Why did I not
think about some of those profound reasons Drs Henry, Love and
Gilbert put forward in attempting to explain the exorbitant drug prices
in many parts of the globe? My equation for final drug price is a simple
summation of the price of drugs dictated by manufacturers
(multinational almost always) + taxes for all varied sorts of reasons +
promotional expenses. In fact, our government has been ferociously
addressing the latter component forgetting all the equally important
reasons you all suggested as contributors to the high prices of drugs.
Advertising, as one e-drugger shared, is a momentary arrest of human
intelligence so that someone can make a fast buck (my own words).
Thus, the doctors are not blinded by new technology. The Filipino
doctors are just gullible enough to hope that what the multinationals
are claiming about their drugs are true. This is because these
manufacturers are allowed to arrest our already colonial-friendly
intelligence. I also want to take exception to Dr. Henry's comment
that the "me too" drugs which is profitable in an uncritical market is
preventing the discovery of innovative drugs. Firstly, the "me too "
drugs flourish not in an uncritical market but a market that is poor and
has to be contented with hand -me- downs. Capitalists are not as
interested in innovation as they are for easy profit with minimal
capitalization. Second, most of the reasons you offered to explain the
high prices of drugs were very "developed". Ours are more pragmatic.
Unless we become better equipped, financially and technologically in
developing for example indigenous sources of therapies, our drug
prices will really just reflect what the multinationals and their friends
want us to pay.
Jody Dalmacion
Philippine General Hospital
Manila
Philippines
fax 0632 521 8251
jrvd1953@yahoo.com
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