A doctor in the Senate

From over P50 each several years ago, the antihistamine drug Claritin is now retailed at P33.75 per tablet. Under a promo of Mercury Drug, the price goes down to P27 each if you buy a box of five tablets, with one free.

Being allergy-prone, I keep track of the price of Claritin, brand name for the generic drug loratadine. Some years ago I was dismayed to buy the branded Clarityn in expensive London for just half the price of the same drug with the same 10-mg dosage in Manila.

So I was happy to notice the prices of the branded medicine plummet in Philippine drug stores starting around two years ago. And I’m glad about the current “buy four, get one free” promo.

But I can’t help wondering what miracle made the drastic price cut possible.

Did an expensive ingredient become unnecessary and was taken out of the Claritin formulation? Did it move from prescription drug classification to over-the-counter? But I’ve been buying Claritin OTC since it hit the Philippine market. Or did someone experience an epiphany and decide to moderate greed?

Moderating greed is a suggestion made by cardiologist Willie Ong to bring down medicine prices.

Willie Tang Ong, 55, a.k.a. Doc Willie, has other suggestions to improve public health care, but a number of them require legislation.

So he’s hoping to be in a position to sponsor such laws – if he wins his bid for a Senate seat.

*      *      *

Doc Willie, who obtained his medical degree from De La Salle Cavite, with specialization in cardiology from the University of the Philippines and internal medicine from Manila Doctors Hospital, counts nine million followers on social media. But the surveys – especially those commissioned by other candidates – place him far from the Magic 12.

The last time a physician made a bid for a Senate seat, he landed in the top half of the so-called Magic 12. Juan Flavier, however, already enjoyed strong name recall when he entered politics, having served as a doctor in the countryside for many years and then as health secretary during the presidency of Fidel Ramos. Flavier brushed aside with good humor the Catholic Church’s opposition to family planning, actively promoting the use of condoms and contraceptives.

Doc Willie, who faced The Chiefs recently on One News / Cignal TV, told us that he would not seek a Senate seat if Flavier were alive. But now Doc Willie said the health sector suffers from an acute lack of representation in Congress.

The Dengvaxia scandal finally made him decide to run. Citing the New England Journal of Medicine, Doc Willie and a group of public health advocates had written the Department of Health, warning that “there was a trend for harm” in using Dengvaxia and urging the DOH to try the vaccine on a smaller group. 

But another group of doctors prevailed, and Dengvaxia was administered to over 800,000 school children.

Doc Willie stressed, however, that Dengvaxia has been proven effective for those who have already had dengue.

*      *      *

Nuancing public health issues can be complicated in this country. Doc Willie, for example, supports increased taxes on tobacco but not on sugar. In his volunteer work with the poor, he explained, sweetened items are often all that the impoverished have for their nutrition and “I think they need the sugar.”

Doc Willie works pro bono, with his relatives providing him, his wife and their two children financial support. Not all doctors, however, come from families that can provide such livelihood subsidies. He suggests socialized pricing for doctor’s fees. But he also recognizes doctors’ need to earn a decent wage and support their own families.

The prospect of studying for 12 years to become a physician, only to be compensated with amounts barely above the minimum wage, or with chickens and eggs in rural areas (yes it’s true), can deter youths from pursuing a medical degree.

“May bahay ka naman sa langit (But you will have a house in heaven),” Doc Willie joked.

To encourage more youths to pursue medicine and increase doctors’ presence outside Metro Manila, he suggests providing scholarships in the provinces, with the government shouldering perhaps 50 percent of the education costs in return for the new doctor providing 10 years of service with pay in his own community.

The country lacks medical facilities, but Doc Willie points out that many of those in the private sector lack the resources for expansion and more investments. To increase profits and provide funds for expansion of health facilities, he says that medical tourism can be encouraged. He also sees telemedicine as a promising area for providing greater health care to the needy.

*      *      *

Even when there are more doctors, health professionals and telemedicine facilities, there is still the burden of medicine costs.

Doc Willie estimates that medicine in the Philippines is from three to five times more expensive than in other countries in the region.

Will generics help? He says there are generic drugs that may be about 10 percent less effective than the branded ones, but also much less cheaper. Doc Willie says the patient may have to drink more of the generic drug and the effect may be slower than the branded version, but the generic medicine will still work, and at a much lower cost.

“I’m not against Big Pharma,” Doc Willie told us, adding that he has many friends in the pharmaceutical industry.

But it’s possible, he said, to reduce profit margins to “reasonable” levels. Especially when high costs are preventing millions from getting proper health care.

Willie Ong has done his share of volunteer work to ease this problem. Now he’s hoping to do more in another role – if voters will let him.