In Cebu City, price cap on COVID drugs sought

LIFESAVER A vial of remdesivir, a lifesaving medicine administered to COVID-19 patients in hospitals, is sold in Cebu City for P6,000. —LYN RILLON

CEBU CITY—The city government has appealed to concerned agencies to regulate the price of drugs used to manage severe and critical cases of COVID-19.

In a Sept. 1 letter, Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), asked the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Health (DOH), the Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas to set a price cap on at least three drugs to avoid overpricing.

“The Cebu City Emergency Operations Center looked into the prices of medications used for the treatment of COVID-19. Unfortunately, it has been observed that the prices of these medications significantly increased as compared to the previous months,” Garganera said.

“It is the request of the Cebu City EOC that the prices of these lifesaving medications be regulated accordingly so as to prevent hoarding and to give COVID-19 patients a fighting chance in surviving this disease,” he added.

Increased demand

While there are still no known medicines that cure COVID-19, “investigational drugs” are often used in the management of patients infected with the virus.

Based on the current price list in the city, the cost of a 400 milligram/20 milliliter vial of tocilizumab rose from P75,000 in July to P130,000 in August while the price of remdesivir (100 mg/20 ml) also increased from P4,000 in July to P6,000 in August.

The price of favipiravir (200 mg/40 tablets), on the other hand, increased to P12,000 in August from P10,500 in July.

As the number of COVID-19 cases in the city increased, Garganera said the demand for these medicines had also went up.He said some people who could afford the medicine might also resort to hoarding, which would disrupt the supply and distribution of these medicines.

“We see that there is a need to regulate the sale and price of these medications,” he said.

Supervised by doctor

In a statement, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), the biggest government hospital in Central Visayas, said investigational drugs for COVID-19 should only be administered to patients admitted in hospitals under the supervision of a doctor, taking into consideration its potential serious adverse reaction.

According to VSMMC, a COVID referral hospital, it may sell investigational drugs but only through a “hospital-to-hospital arrangement.”

Cebu City recorded 3,997 active cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the DOH in Central Visayas.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the city recorded a total of 37,948 cases with 32,767 recoveries and 1,184 deaths.

Cebu City remains under modified enhanced community quarantine until Sept. 7.