Access denied: a theoretical analysis of the cheaper medicines law
Date
2009-01
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Abstract
The Universally Accessible and Cheaper Medicines Act of 2008 (Cheaper Medicines Law) was implemented in response to the high prices of medicines in the Philippines. The Maximum Drug Price Policy, a major provision of the law, imposed price ceilings on five essential drugs. This paper aimed to determine whether a substantial increase in drug accessibility will be achieved. With the use of theoretical analysis, three cases were formed based on the nature of the markets of the essential drugs: monopoly, oligopoly and monopolistic competition. The behaviours of the branded drugs market and generics market in each situation were also depicted in graphs to aid in better analysis. Findings show that the law will increase drug accessibility in the short run but not so in the long run as an anti-competitive market environment ensues. Only the higher and middle-income classes are largely benefitted by the lower prices while the lower-income classes continue to lack access to these drugs. Thus, the Cheaper Medicines Law is declared ineffective in providing a substantial increase in drug accessibility.
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Keywords
Medicine law, Medicine, Healthcare industry, Public health, Drug price policy