Senator Mar Roxas has introduced a bill which would allow parallel importation, where the government would buy cheaper medicines abroad and sell them locally at prices that were substantially lower than those pegged by foreign pharmaceutical firms like Pfizer. The Roxas bill will also allow “early working” or the testing of branded drugs whose patents are about the expire in preparation for the production of generic counterparts. It was precisely the early working of the drug Norvase, which patent will expire in June 2007, that led Pfizer to file suit against Philippine regulatory and trade agencies for alleged patent infringement.

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Other multinational drug companies are anticipating the outcome of the case filed by Pfizer against Philippine regulatory and trading agencies for alleged patent infringement. This was effectively become a test case for the drug industry to challenge the early working of patents about to expire. Even if Pfizer’s suit does not prosper, it has managed to sidetrack the efforts of the Philippine authorities to introduce cheaper alternatives to the branded medicines now dominating the market.

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Pfizer is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, with 2005 revenues of US$ 51.36 Billion. The New York based company turns our well-known prescription drugs, like the life-saving Viagra, and consumer products like Listerene. Check out your medicine cabinet and you will likely find a Pfizer product.

Pfizer trumpets on its website that “Everyone Should Be Able To Get The Medicines They Need”. Indeed. But only, it seems, if the price is right. And the price is what Pfizer wants it to be.

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