The expired drugs unearthed in the Capitol grounds of Pangasinan may be the catalyst for Rep. Victor Agbayani to regain the Capitol.

The setting of maximum retail prices for selected drugs may be the catalyst for scarcity of drugs.

The people’s access to medicines is greatly reduced by high prices not to mention high poverty levels, low government subsidy and backward state of health consciousness of the people.

According to the pharmaceutical industry, almost 90 percent of drugs sold are locally produced but local drug companies are mainly compounders, formulators and packagers.

The local drug companies import, repack, market and distribute proprietary medicines and preparations.

There are views that the drug companies blocking the signing of an Executive Order from the President giving out the maximum retail price for selected drugs.

There are other views claiming that huge amounts were given to bribe Malacañang for the Executive Order not to be signed.

We believe that no amount of money and no drug company with its profit-first mind set will shell out money for preventing the President from making the Executive Order.

President Arroyo may take the money… not sign the Executive Order for price cut… But will later on due to other reasons sign another executive order adverse to the intention of the bribe giver.

There is no need to legislate a price cut.

They legislated the the downstream oil deregulation act to lower the price of oil and …what is the price of oil now?

Under an environment of healthy competiton, the drug companies will lower the prices of medicines to gain a bigger share of the market.

An executive order putting a price ceiling on selected drugs will only make drug companies produce less of the drug because the profit will be less.

The 50% price cut on selected medicines may be nice to hear and nice to read for us consumers.

But to profit-hungry drug companies, this is no laughing matter.

In the long run, we the consumers will suffer.

The drug companies may just bury their medicines in the Capitol grounds until the drugs expire than sell them in the market.