Regulatory bodies should consider including innovative medical treatments, or new treatments that contain substances that have not been authorized before, in the Philippine National Formulary, according to a July 4 forum organized by pharmaceutical company Roche (Philippines) Incorporated.
Roche has several working proof-of-concept projects that aim to achieve “the shared vision of each person with access to innovative diagnosis and treatment, whether they are city executives or farmers in provinces.”
These include Mission Leapfrog, a breast and cervical cancer prevention initiative in Tacloban City that is set to expand to seven more cities; Roche Access Program, a patient assistance program for the financially constrained that has supported more than 9,000 patients as of this May; and I CAN For Lung Cancer, a project that builds a healthcare provider network for delivering lung cancer services, from screening to palliation.
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito, principal author of the Universal Healthcare Law, acknowledged cancer as a priority issue in the July 4 forum with William N. Anderson, global chief executive officer of Roche Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Mr. Ejercito noted the need for more access to funds for cancer treatment, as well as “the inclusion of innovative treatments and diagnostics in the formulary.”
The Philippine National Formulary is the national reference that guides the national and local governments on drug procurement, prescription, and use. It also guides the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in the reimbursement of claims from both public and private healthcare facilities.
Roche did not give specifics on which medical treatments it thought were supposed to be included in the formulary, except to say that the multinational healthcare company advocates coverage for people with metastatic cancers and rare disease conditions. — P. B. Mirasol
