I will fight those pharmaceutical companies,'' Erap is quoted as saying during last his radio program last weekend, with multinationals being his specific target. The previous weekend, Erap also referred to the high costs of medicines and ordered the Department of Health to find ways to make the medicines more accessible and affordable.
Politicians know that drug prices are a sensitive issue.
Pulse Asia's survey last month, the one that reported a drastic drop in Erap's approval ratings, also asked Filipinos to name their three most urgent personal concerns. Topping the list was ''avoiding illness and staying healthy,'' chosen by 54 percent of respondents. Filipinos value health and, not always correctly, equate good health with medicines, which are perceived not just as cures but as ways of preventing disease. With the current crisis, people have been hurting from the costs of drugs. Especially hard hit are those with chronic problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma, for which a constant supply of drugs is needed over a long period, sometimes even a lifetime.