Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

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House Bill No.

Introduced by Representatives Mariano Michael M. Velarde Jr. and Irwin C,
Tieng (BUHAY Party List)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Regarding a comment on Republic Act 9502 or The Universally Accessible Cheaper
and Quality Medicines Act of 2008, an article in the UP Forum cited the observations
made by Dr. Monet M. Loquias from the Institute of Health Policy and Development
Studies of the National Institute of Health. According to Dr. Loquias, the lack of a
self-reliant pharmaceutical industry has left the country at the mercy of
multinationals which have dominated drugs supply and pricing, and even policy
and practices through their powerful marketing machinery. She said that local drug
manufacturers still have to import ingredients from abroad and thus, cannot reduce
prices of medicines significantly. For cheaper medicines, she stated, the country is
left with no other option but to import them from countries such as India, which has
its own thriving pharmaceutical industry.

Consequently, in this kind of set-up, importation of active and inactive ingredients
of drugs by drug companies is widespread making their products vulnerable to
containing subpotent or superpotent concentrations of active ingredients, or having

unknown inactive ingredients, or being manufactured using methods that render the
product impure.

Intending to improve the labeling standards in view of protecting the health of
Filipino citizens, this bill requires country of origin labeling on prescription and
over-the-counter drugs because we can never allow in this country that medications
be the very source of illnesses.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No.

Introduced by Representatives Mariano Michael M. Velarde Jr. and Irwin C.

Tieng (BUHAY Party List)

AN ACT TO REQUIRE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING ON PRESCRIPTION
AND OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Transparency in Drug,
Labeling Act".

SEC, 2. Declaration of Policy. - It shall be the policy of the State to protect the health
of the public by ensuring the quality of medications.

SEC. 3. Country of Origin Labeling for Drugs. - Labeling on prescription and over-
the- counter drugs shall require the following:

a) ‘The identity of the manufacturing country of each active ingredient of the drug,
listed in descending order based on the percentage of the number of active
ingredients in the final dosage form manufactured in such countries;

b) The identity of the manufacturing country of each inactive ingredient of the drug,
listed in descending order based on the percentage of the number of inactive
ingredients in the final dosage form manufactured in such countries.

SEC. 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - ‘the Bureau of Food and Drugs,
under the Department of Health, shall formulate the necessary guidelines and
promulgate rules and regulations implementing the provisions of this Act

SEC. 5. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall at any time be found
to be unconstitutional or invalid, the remainder thereof not affected by such
declaration shall remain in full force and effect.


SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, rules or regulations inconsistent with
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 7. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following,
its complete publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

pproved,