MANILA, Philippines -- The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to lower the prices of medicines in the country amid claims big pharmaceutical firms tried to block its passage.

In an unusual show of unity, all 205 lawmakers present in the plenary voted Tuesday night in favor of the consolidated House Bill 2844, known as “An act providing for cheaper medicines and for other purposes.”

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. also cast his vote, citing the “overwhelming merits of this piece of legislation.”

“It’s not customary for the presiding officer to cast his vote but because this bill is a historic bill and because of the overwhelming merits of this piece of legislation, I would like to vote yes in support of House Bill 2844,” he said.

“And for this reason, ( I would also like to) announce that by an abstention vote of zero, a negative vote of zero, 205 members of the House voted for this bill,” De Venecia said. “This bill is approved on third and final reading.”

The bill seeks to increase the poor’s access to medicines by, among other things, allowing parallel importation of patented medicines and revising the Intellectual Property Code which provides protection for holders of medicine patents.

But its passage came after months of intense debates and alleged efforts by pharmaceutical firms to delay, water down or archive the measure.

Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros accused the United States Trade Representative’s Office in Manila of attempting to influence the deliberations on the bill apparently to favor transnational pharmaceutical companies, many of them US-based.

Hontiveros earlier distributed to reporters copies of a “position paper” she said was being circulated by the US Trade Representative’s Office among members of the House committee on trade and industry that was steering the bill’s passage through the House.

The position paper contained comments and suggestions, purportedly coming from the US government, on how certain provisions of HB 2844 can be worded.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Hontiveros said the US trade representative ought to be reminded that the Philippines “is not a colony of your country.”

Shalimar Vitan, policy coordinator of the UK-based Oxfam international aid agency, said the document was also intended for the Philippines’ Intellectual Property Office.

“This is the unseen hand” trying to influence the Cheaper Medicines Bill, Vitan told a press briefing.

Palawan Representative Antonio Alvarez, chairman of the House committee on trade and industry, said he had been approached by the office of the US Trade Representative regarding its concerns about HB 2844.

He said the American Chamber of Commerce had also written to De Venecia concerning the bill.

But Alvarez said “it was nothing. They just raised their concerns sometime ago, but I didn’t mind them.”

After its approval in the House, the bill will be sent to the Senate for concurrence, although some lawmakers are not hopeful it will be passed before Congress goes on a month-long recess for the holidays.

The House-approved measure proposes the creation of the Drug Price Regulation Board that will regulate retail prices of drugs and medicines in the country.

The medicines covered by price regulations are:

1. Drugs or medicines indicated for treatment of chronic illnesses and life threatening conditions like diabetes, endocrine disorder, gastrointestinal disorders, peptic ulcer, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, among others;

2. Drugs or medicines indicated for prevention of diseases like vaccines, immunoglobulin and anti-serums;

3. Drugs or medicines indicated for prevention of pregnancy such oral contraceptives;

4. Anesthetic agents;

5. Intravenous fluids;

6. Drugs or medicines included in the Philippine National Drug Formulary (PNDF) Essential Drug list;

7. All other drugs or medicines which from time to time the Board determines to be in need of price regulation.