Most medicines in the Philippines cost 5 times more

[reptoid]

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The only thing that is cheap here is labor. Unfortunately the Phils is so lacking in industry that even basic things are imported and heaped with taxes, handling charges and duty. I was shocked this morning to see a well known book store selling small sheets of polystyrene (the stuff used for packaging in boxes) at 96 pesos each!

[Dorothea]

^96 pesos? was it made in china? It doesn't make sense for us to import stuff when labor in the country is so cheap.

[reptoid]

Quite possibly made in China. I still can't believe it... the stuff is dirt cheap in almost any other country, but here if you were to judge it's value by weight you'd think you were buying a precious metal.

[Dorothea]

So, why do you think that is, reptoid? I mean, the lack of industry? Could businessmen be leery because of red tape, corruption etc etc?

[reptoid]

I think because foreign investment is so restricted that we suffer at the hands of monopolies both in the manufacturing and retail sectors. Things are much more expensive than they need to be and there seems to be little intervention from government. The net result is limited choice and high costs. Undoubtedly our somewhat scary and unpredictable customs/import duties play their part too.

Cebu also seems more expensive than Manila for many items. I'd have thought that being an archipelago standardizing costs should have been enforced through some type of legislation or even subsidy for the greater good.

[jovipeorliohacokijo]

naa ko nadunggan sauna nga mas barato pa daw ang same tambal exported to malaysia or indonesia then i import diri sa sato ky sa sold locally

[monroy]

I think because foreign investment is so restricted that we suffer at the hands of monopolies both in the manufacturing and retail sectors. Things are much more expensive than they need to be and there seems to be little intervention from government. The net result is limited choice and high costs. Undoubtedly our somewhat scary and unpredictable customs/import duties play their part too.

Cebu also seems more expensive than Manila for many items. I'd have thought that being an archipelago standardizing costs should have been enforced through some type of legislation or even subsidy for the greater good.

Even if you removed these restrictions, few foreigners will want to invest here. Minimum wages are increased arbitrarily and our slow justice system is completely broken and unpredictable. We also don't respect contracts signed by our country and that has left a bad taste in the mouth of foreign investors that they won't soon forget.

Taxes are also unbelievably high and everything is at least 2x more expensive than they are in other countries. Our government doesn't even give tax breaks for investment into factory machinery like other Asian countries do. Our government isn't the most corrupt but it certainly is the most stupid one around so don't expect any changes to happen anytime soon...

[prestige]

hmmm if my memory serves my right,during sa akong pharmacy days , usa sa ang naka pa dala mahal ani is ang marketing(med reps, advertisements, etc.) ug ang mga incentives nga gihatag sa mga pharmaceutical companies sa mga doctors aron andg ilahang tambal ang ang i recommend sa doctor.

during that time naa mi sample alaxan which cost 5 pesos ... our teacher said that the production cost of creating a single tablet of alaxan will only cost 1-1.50 pesos imagine 3.50 or more than 50% of it goes to marketing alone.

thats why some drug stores are force to buy these medicines in our neighboring asian countries esp india and thailand kay grabeh ka barato ila medicine, and sell it here in pinas at a lower cost compared to other leading brand of same mixture

Agree dude LOL. These are the contributing factors that may lead to persistence of expensive drug prices and consumption of branded drugs hence poor Filipinos are inaccessible to health care cost. It increases the potential risk for mortality and morbidity among Filipinos in the country. Drug companies promulgate to gain profits in market ads. There's also transparent lack of supply of generic alternatives compared to the originated brands and lack of competition on the public, NGOs resulting to dominance bought by the rich people.

Well, the main causes of low access to medicine are weak health-care systems, corruption, inadequate health insurance coverage, taxes and tariffs, nontariff barriers to drug imports, price controls, monopoly government provisions, and fake medicines.

[Dorothea]

Who makes these brand drugs? UniLab?

[prestige]

Who makes these brand drugs? UniLab?

Top local drug manufacturers in the Philippines- Unilab, Pascual Laboratories
Top foreign drug companies (trader/importer/distributor) in the Philippines- GSK Phil. Inc (manufacturer), Pfizer, Wyeth Phil. Inc.