PHILIPPINE DRUG SECURITY Do Filipinos have access to cheap and quality drugs?

Abstract

This study tackles the subject of drug security in the Philippines; by discussing the current Philippine drug situation, detailing the processes involved with drug pricing in the country, and enumerating the policy options and strategies of improving access to essential drugs, the reader will gain a general understanding of the Philippine drug industry and the social, economic, and political milieus in which various stakeholders of the industry interact. This undergraduate thesis also looks into the effectiveness of the government’s program of selling medicines in government hospital pharmacies at a lower price. The researcher evaluates the effectiveness of the said program as it is being implemented in Department of Health (DOH)-retained hospitals based on two indicators: (1) affordability; and (2) availability of medicines.