Healthcare and Human Welfare Systems

[kiretoce]

Post away folks!

Link to Thread 1 in the Archives.

[kiretoce]

Total Percentages of Asian Healthcare Professionals Employed in the United States

NURSES

1. Philippines 50.2%
2. India 1.3%
3. Hong Kong 1.2%
4. Israel 1.0%
5. South Korea 1.0%

DOCTORS

1. India 19.9%
2. Philippines 8.8%
3. Pakistan 4.8%
4. South Korea 2.1%
5. China 2.0%

DENTISTS

1. India 25.8%
2. Philippines 11.0%
3. China 3.2%
4. South Korea 3.2%
5. Pakistan 2.9%

[tigidig14]

Originally Posted by kiretoce

Total Percentages of Asian Healthcare Professionals Employed in the United States

NURSES

1. Philippines 50.2%
2. India 1.3%
3. Hong Kong 1.2%
4. Israel 1.0%
5. South Korea 1.0%

DOCTORS

1. India 19.9%
2. Philippines 8.8%
3. Pakistan 4.8%
4. South Korea 2.1%
5. China 2.0%

%

San to nakuha? Kala ko pumapangalawa ang mga chinese sa mga physician

[kiretoce]

Philhealth on the brink

Philippine Health Insurance Corp. is in danger of going bankrupt in the next seven years unless the government pays the P19.2 billion arrears it owes the agency.

Sen. Loren Legarda made this assessment Wednesday after a hearing on the measure calling for mandatory universal health care coverage pending at the Senate committee on health and demography.

Legarda, who chairs the committee, said Philhealth officials themselves disclosed that the country’s health care institution is in danger of insolvency because of unpaid debts by the Department of Budget and Management to the company since 2001.

Philhealth Vice President and Deputy Chief Actuary Nerissa Santiago pointed out to the committee that the multi-billion debt of the government could affect its delivery of services to some 17 million current Philhealth members by 2016.

Legarda slammed the DBM for failing to pay its obligations of nearly R20 billion. Officials of the DBM were a no-show during the hearing.

“Papaano na iyong 17 million Filipinos na umaasa sa Philhealth para sa kanilang pangangailangan sa kalusugan? Kaya dapat talaga tingnan ng husto ang operations ng Philhealth at bayaran ng national government sa pamamagitan ng DBM ang utang na halos R20 billion sa Philhealth mula 2001,” Legarda said after the hearing.

Santiago said that based on their study, the life fund of Philhealth could shrink in the next seven to ten years if the DBM debt remains unresolved.

“Regarding the resource and the life of the fund, based on our study as of 2008…without increasing the contribution rate…and considering the projections based on what we perceived would be the membership for the next 10 years or so, the life of the fund is only until 2016,” Santiago told the committee.

During the hearing, it was also learned that some politicians are using Philhealth cards to advance their electoral plans but the cards themselves are already expired.

Legarda vowed to look into the matter, saying that while there is nothing wrong for politicians to allot their countrywide development funds (CDF) or “pork barrel” to Philhealth premiums, it must not be used for politicking.

“I want to know what comprises the P19.2 billion that could cause the bankruptcy of PhilHealth,” Legarda said.

“I also want to know who were those who got an ‘overnight’ concern with Philhealth at meron mga litrato sa mga PhilHealth cards, tapos expired palang ipinamimigay,” she stressed.

[tigidig14]

Originally Posted by kiretoce

Philhealth on the brink

Philippine Health Insurance Corp. is in danger of going bankrupt in the next seven years unless the government pays the P19.2 billion arrears it owes the agency.

Sen. Loren Legarda made this assessment Wednesday after a hearing on the measure calling for mandatory universal health care coverage pending at the Senate committee on health and demography.

Legarda, who chairs the committee, said Philhealth officials themselves disclosed that the country’s health care institution is in danger of insolvency because of unpaid debts by the Department of Budget and Management to the company since 2001.

Philhealth Vice President and Deputy Chief Actuary Nerissa Santiago pointed out to the committee that the multi-billion debt of the government could affect its delivery of services to some 17 million current Philhealth members by 2016.

Legarda slammed the DBM for failing to pay its obligations of nearly R20 billion. Officials of the DBM were a no-show during the hearing.

“Papaano na iyong 17 million Filipinos na umaasa sa Philhealth para sa kanilang pangangailangan sa kalusugan? Kaya dapat talaga tingnan ng husto ang operations ng Philhealth at bayaran ng national government sa pamamagitan ng DBM ang utang na halos R20 billion sa Philhealth mula 2001,” Legarda said after the hearing.

Santiago said that based on their study, the life fund of Philhealth could shrink in the next seven to ten years if the DBM debt remains unresolved.

“Regarding the resource and the life of the fund, based on our study as of 2008…without increasing the contribution rate…and considering the projections based on what we perceived would be the membership for the next 10 years or so, the life of the fund is only until 2016,” Santiago told the committee.

During the hearing, it was also learned that some politicians are using Philhealth cards to advance their electoral plans but the cards themselves are already expired.

Legarda vowed to look into the matter, saying that while there is nothing wrong for politicians to allot their countrywide development funds (CDF) or “pork barrel” to Philhealth premiums, it must not be used for politicking.

“I want to know what comprises the P19.2 billion that could cause the bankruptcy of PhilHealth,” Legarda said.

“I also want to know who were those who got an ‘overnight’ concern with Philhealth at meron mga litrato sa mga PhilHealth cards, tapos expired palang ipinamimigay,” she stressed.

Nakakatakot na forecast naman to basahin, sana may long term goal, but doesnt the govn replenish that healthcare budget annually and some that doesnt pay philhealth gets almost free or large discounted health care upon social welfare approval

[TRCDOST]

If this true then we have a very big problem, many people are depending on Phil. Health specially the middle and lower class sector.

[TeslaCoil]

Calling juan_pilgrim!!! They want you back here

We pay monthly PhilHealth fee. How come this happened?

[Juan Pilgrim]

Indonesia's healthcare system failing millions
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Indonesia's health system is failing to provide even the most basic care to vast swathes of the population, say specialists.

Many who cannot afford doctors' fees often receive no treatment at all, while the wealthy fly abroad for a check-up.

The system is plagued by under-funding, decentralization, lack of qualified staff, rising medical costs and outdated medical equipment, say insiders...

http://www.speroforum.com/a/20068/In...iling-millions

Learning from Thailand’s health reforms
Adrian Towse, Anne Mills, Viroj Tangcharoensathien

Providing all of Thailand’s population with subsidised health care required radical changes in thehealth system

Thailand took a “big bang” approach to introducing
universal access to subsidised health care. In 2001, after
years of debate1–3 and slow progress,4 5 it extended coverage
to 18.5 million people who were previously
uninsured (out of a population of 62 million). This move
was combined with a radical shift in funding away from
major urban hospitals in order to build up primary care.
Such an approach has merits but also risks. We discuss
the implementation and some of the problems.

Summary points
Thailand combined the introduction of universal access to subsidised
health care with a radical shift in funding away from urban hospitals
to primary care

Implementation was facilitated by strong political imperative and
previous experience from existing health schemes

Redirection of funds to primary care left many hospitals with large
deficits

Staff need to be redeployed to primary care units, which are still
underdeveloped

Patients are used to accessing care from hospitals and choosing their
provider

Confidence in primary care needs building, and the scheme may
have to be modified to permit more choice and raise more funding

www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/328/7431/103

I think Philippines should make reforms and be more like the Thai model in order to provide healthcare to all Filipinos!

[tonight]

Department of Health eyes price cuts on more drugs
By Sheila Crisostomo

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) is planning to implement a price cut on more drugs under the new Cheaper Medicine Law.

National Drug Program chief Dr. Roberto So said they are planning to add in the list more types of medicine most prescribed, namely those for hypertension, asthma, breast cancer and insulin for diabetics.

So said the drugs have been offered for voluntary price reduction by drug manufacturers under Republic Act 9502, or the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicine Act, but the DOH did not automatically accept the offer.

“We are still studying it. We have to validate the prevailing market prices here and the prices abroad. We want to know the (level of) competition. There are many indicators that we are looking into,” So said.

According to So, the government does not want to impose the maximum drug retail price (MDRP) or the mandatory 50-percent price cut as much as possible.

He said the government would much prefer that drug manufacturers lower the prices of their medicine.

“It is really better if they just volunteer. It’s more of a win-win situation for both parties… we know that it will help promote competition in the Philippines, and benefit the public,” So added.

The DOH earlier recommended the inclusion of 21 most prescribed medicine under the MDRP.

The pharmaceutical companies initially volunteered to lower the prices of 16 drugs, and eventually volunteered to reduce the prices of 22 drugs most commonly prescribed.

Drug companies are faced with the dilemma of lowering the prices of their medicine voluntarily or suffer penalties under the Consumers Act that could also mean the revocation of their business permits and licenses.

Under the MDRP, drug companies are faced with a bigger challenge as a violation could mean an administrative penalty of P50,000 to P5 million.

The offense can also be constituted as “illegal price manipulation” which is punishable by a jail term of up to 15 years or a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P10 million or revocation of license to operate.

Drug firms and stores in other parts of the country have started to comply with the requirements of MDRP.

DOH food and drugs regional supervisor Renato Padilla said their monitoring of the various chain of drugstores and hospitals in Dagupan City in Pangasinan; Laoag City, Batac and Vigan in the Ilocos provinces showed they complied with the requirements of the MDRP.

Padilla said big drugstores have reduced by 50 percent the prices of 16 generic drugs available in the region.

[c6josh]

Originally Posted by tonight

Department of Health eyes price cuts on more drugs
By Sheila Crisostomo

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) is planning to implement a price cut on more drugs under the new Cheaper Medicine Law.

National Drug Program chief Dr. Roberto So said they are planning to add in the list more types of medicine most prescribed, namely those for hypertension, asthma, breast cancer and insulin for diabetics.

So said the drugs have been offered for voluntary price reduction by drug manufacturers under Republic Act 9502, or the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicine Act, but the DOH did not automatically accept the offer.

“We are still studying it. We have to validate the prevailing market prices here and the prices abroad. We want to know the (level of) competition. There are many indicators that we are looking into,” So said.

According to So, the government does not want to impose the maximum drug retail price (MDRP) or the mandatory 50-percent price cut as much as possible.

He said the government would much prefer that drug manufacturers lower the prices of their medicine.

“It is really better if they just volunteer. It’s more of a win-win situation for both parties… we know that it will help promote competition in the Philippines, and benefit the public,” So added.

The DOH earlier recommended the inclusion of 21 most prescribed medicine under the MDRP.

The pharmaceutical companies initially volunteered to lower the prices of 16 drugs, and eventually volunteered to reduce the prices of 22 drugs most commonly prescribed.

Drug companies are faced with the dilemma of lowering the prices of their medicine voluntarily or suffer penalties under the Consumers Act that could also mean the revocation of their business permits and licenses.

Under the MDRP, drug companies are faced with a bigger challenge as a violation could mean an administrative penalty of P50,000 to P5 million.

The offense can also be constituted as “illegal price manipulation” which is punishable by a jail term of up to 15 years or a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P10 million or revocation of license to operate.

Drug firms and stores in other parts of the country have started to comply with the requirements of MDRP.

DOH food and drugs regional supervisor Renato Padilla said their monitoring of the various chain of drugstores and hospitals in Dagupan City in Pangasinan; Laoag City, Batac and Vigan in the Ilocos provinces showed they complied with the requirements of the MDRP.

Padilla said big drugstores have reduced by 50 percent the prices of 16 generic drugs available in the region.

It's about time that the Philippines lower the cost of medicine, the law was passed but it took a while to implement this ...in time for the election.

[ruralvillage]

MPIC plans to acquire up to 10 more hospitals next 3 years
By JAMES A. LOYOLA Manila Bulletin
August 21, 2009, 6:12pm

Metro Pacific Investments Corporation is planning to acquire five to ten more hospitals in the next two to three years at a cost of P2.5 billion to P7 billion to expand the capacity of its healthcare business to 3,000 beds from the current 1,000.

In a press briefing in Hong Kong, MPIC executive director and hospital division head Augusto Palisoc Jr. said they are looking at hospitals in major cities in the provinces as possible targets for acquisition.

Palisoc said they expect to be investing about P500 million to P700 million to acquire one hospital.

He explained that this aggressive expansion plans are in line with MPIC’s goal of becoming a significant player in the healthcare business by owning the largest hospital group in the country.

Palisoc said it is their intention to acquire existing hospitals instead of building their own since it will take about two to three years to get a new hospital established and earning profits while buying an existing hospital will immediately provide a steady cash flow.

Aside from investments for new acquisitions, MPIC is spending some P2 billion from now until 2012 for its healthcare business to upgrade equipment, add doctors’ offices and rehabilitate rooms.

[Muffstar]

Originally Posted by c6josh

It's about time that the Philippines lower the cost of medicine, the law was passed but it took a while to implement this ...in time for the election.

Yeah agree, we had to get some prescriptions made up when we last visited and I could not believe how expensive it was. It was very similar to Australian costs, so I don't know how a lot of people could afford them. My sister in law is a doctor in Makati and she was complaining.

[c6josh]

Originally Posted by Muffstar

Yeah agree, we had to get some prescriptions made up when we last visited and I could not believe how expensive it was. It was very similar to Australian costs, so I don't know how a lot of people could afford them. My sister in law is a doctor in Makati and she was complaining.

even my dad's prescription meds are bought from the US by my sister because the price here are more expensive then buying it by volume in the US...this is what you call monopoly.

[c6josh]

MPIC plans to acquire up to 10 more hospitals next 3 years
By JAMES A. LOYOLA
August 21, 2009, 6:12pm

Metro Pacific Investments Corporation is planning to acquire five to ten more hospitals in the next two to three years at a cost of P2.5 billion to P7 billion to expand the capacity of its healthcare business to 3,000 beds from the current 1,000.

In a press briefing in Hong Kong, MPIC executive director and hospital division head Augusto Palisoc Jr. said they are looking at hospitals in major cities in the provinces as possible targets for acquisition.

Palisoc said they expect to be investing about P500 million to P700 million to acquire one hospital.

He explained that this aggressive expansion plans are in line with MPIC’s goal of becoming a significant player in the healthcare business by owning the largest hospital group in the country.

Palisoc said it is their intention to acquire existing hospitals instead of building their own since it will take about two to three years to get a new hospital established and earning profits while buying an existing hospital will immediately provide a steady cash flow.

Aside from investments for new acquisitions, MPIC is spending some P2 billion from now until 2012 for its healthcare business to upgrade equipment, add doctors’ offices and rehabilitate rooms.

[c6josh]

we need more investments like this, Philippines lack the total number of hospital beds this will be beneficial to the rest of the country's health services.

[c6josh]

DoH cracks down on erring drugstores
By JENNY F. MANONGDO
August 27, 2009, 6:56pm

The Department of Health (DoH) issued a cease and desist order (CDO) on Thursday to four drugstores that were found violating the mandated price control scheme on selected essential drugs whose implementation began last August 15.

Among those that received the cease and desist order are Stardust Drug and Medical Supplies Corporation, Cheer Up Drugstore, and Sunburst Corporation, all in Sta. Cruz, Manila, and Southstar Drug in Diliman, Quezon City.

The order was served personally by Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III after inspecting the compliance of the drugstores in implementing the reduced drug prices under the Government Mediated Access or the voluntary price control scheme and the Maximum Drug Retail Price (MDRP) as stipulated under EO 821.

Drugstores with a computerized pricing system were ordered to comply by August 15 while smaller pharmacies especially those in far-flung places with a manual pricing and stockpiling system were given until September 15 to comply with the order.

Five essential drugs have been placed under the MDRP. These include anti-neoplastics or anti-cancer, anti-hypertensives, anti-cholesterol, and antibiotic drugs.

Meanwhile, the 16 medicines that fall under the voluntary price reduction scheme are Telmisartan and Irbesartan (anti-hypertensives); Clopidogrel (anti-thrombotic); Gliclazide (Anti-diabetic/Anti-hypoglycemic), Piperacillin + Tazobactam and all its salt form (antibiotic/antibacterial), Methotrexate Sodium and mesna, which are anti-cancer drugs, and Mercaptopurine (anti-neoplastics/anti-cancer) among others.

"We have inspectors going around to check the compliance of drugstores. We have given them 72 hours to explain in writing why they have not reduced their prices," Duque said.

The CDO served to Stardust Drug and Medical Supplies Corporation was based on a report of violation dated August 19 which showed that the drugstore sold the anti-diabetes drug Gliclazide (Diamicron) 80 mg tablet at a retail price of P15.50, which is almost double than the Government Mediated Access Price of P7.50.

Cheer Up Drugstore was found to be selling eight drugs at their old prices including Co-Amoxiclav, Piperacillin, and Flagyl 500 mg.

Meanwhile, Southstar Drugstore in Diliman, Quezon City was found to be selling the anti-hypertensive drug Amlodipine 5mg tablet at P46.25 against its MDRP of P22.85.

Similarly, Sunburst Drug Corporation sold Amlodipine 5mg tablet at P48 and the anti-cholesterol drug Atorvastatine 80mg at P105.50 as opposed to its MDRP of P50.63.

"We issued the cease and desist order to force them to sell the drugs in prices according to MDRP. They cannot sell the drugs at prices higher than the MDRP. This is the law and we have to follow the law," Duque said.

For drugs falling under the MDRP, sanctions will be applied under RA 9502 or the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008 while sanctions on drugstores that violated medicines that fall under the Government Mediated Access Price will be based upon the Consumer Price Act.

[c6josh]

RP urged to continue fight for low-cost medicine
By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) Updated August 28, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - A Ramon Magsaysay awardee yesterday called on civil society groups in the country to continue advocating and fighting for giving the people low-cost medicine even if lawmakers have already approved the Cheaper Medicine Law.

Krisana Kraisintu, a pharmacologist in Thailand, advised Filipinos to help the government in resisting pressure from multinational drug companies.

“You must have good advocacy groups that would fight with the government (for affordable medicine),” Kraisintu told reporters in a media briefing at the Ramon Magsaysay Center in Manila.

“My solution is that you have to have very strong NGOs (non-government organizations), you must fight with the government, otherwise you cannot do something about this,” Kraisintu said.

Kraisintu, one of this year’s six Ramon Magsaysay awardees, was recognized for “placing pharmaceutical rigor at the service of patients, through her untiring and fearless dedication to producing much-needed generic drugs in Thailand and elsewhere in the developing world.”

The 57-year-old Kraisintu played a pivotal role in Thailand’s success as one of the few countries in the world to have reversed a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic through formulating affordable and alternative medicine.

Kraisintu “sees the huge gap in access to medicine between rich and poor nations as a crime against humanity and a holocaust of the poor.”

“The reason why I was successful in the fight against HIV/AIDS in my own country is not only because of the medicine that I was able to develop but because of the very strong NGOs. People must be strong first,” she said. “These can only be done if civil societies stand up and fight.”

When AIDS became a national epidemic in Thailand, Kraisintu conducted research on antiretroviral drugs despite the lack of government support, skepticism of many colleagues, and lawsuits from drug companies.

In 1995, Kraisintu successfully formulated the generic version of AZT (zidovudine), which treats HIV generally and reduces the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

The medicine was introduced in Thailand at only one-fourth the cost of the branded product. It was the developing world’s first generic antiretroviral drug.

Kraisintu also worked with NGO advocates lobbying for lower consumer prices and weathered major legal battles to produce the second generic ARV drug ddI (didanosine).

She and her team also invented a “cocktail” drug known as GPO-VIR, which is 18 times cheaper than the regimens of multiple pills taken by AIDS patients. GPO currently produces seven types of ARVs with production sufficient to treat 150,000 patients a year in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Last year, President Arroyo signed Republic Act 9502, or the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicine Act of 2008, which aims to enhance access to generic drugs.

[c6josh]

Palace to DOH: Monitor A (H1N1) second wave

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 09/04/2009 2:06 PM

MANILA - President Arroyo on Friday ordered the Department of Health to step up its monitoring of the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) cases in the country amid fears that a second wave of the virus could affect nine million Filipinos.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the President has instructed the DOH to improve its coordination with the World Health Organization as to real-time exchange of information and data on the A (H1N1) virus.

"The President also ordered hastening of the capacitation of the laboratories of government hospitals for more testing in case of epidemics. She also provisioned that government hospitals to be better prepared to manage complicated cases that may be exacerbated by the virus," Remonde told reporters.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said a second wave of A (H1N1) infections in the Philippines could affect one-tenth of the population or about nine million Filipinos, but stressed there are no indications that the virus would worsen.

“So if our population is about 90 million, a second wave of A(H1N1) could affect as many as nine million Filipinos,” Duque told the Philippine Star during a cluster meeting of mayors from Mindanao under the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).

But Duque said he recently got assurance from a WHO official that there were no indications that the A(H1N1) virus has mutated into a more virulent strain.

Duque noted that dengue fever and even ordinary flu were more fatal than A(H1N1) in the Philippines.

DOH records show 28 people infected with A(H1N1) have died in the country as of August 28. Nearly 5,000 have been infected though more than 96 percent of the cases have fully recovered.
as of 09/04/2009 2:08 PM

[c6josh]

FROM ALL FILIPINO FIRM:
Sugar-free toothpaste, affordable drugs

By Anne Jambora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:09:00 09/07/2009

Filed Under: Consumer Issues, Health



WHEN research discovered that alcohol in mouthwash dries the mouth, and that dryness can in fact cause bad breath, Pascual Laboratories Inc. (Pascuallab) went to work on an effective mouthwash that would be acceptable to Filipinos even without the stinging alcohol.

There was a risk, said Mia Pascual-Cenzon, director for corporate communications and granddaughter of the pharmaceutical company’s founders, that the local market might not be ready for a “radical” change. But, keeping true to the company’s commitment to social awareness, Pascuallab went on to launch the first locally made non-alcohol-based mouthwash.

Thanks to a successful TV ad campaign, the result is now a household-name mouthwash called OraCare.

Now on its 63rd year of operation, Pascuallab was born out of necessity during the aftermath of World War II. There was a demand for medicine but the prices were high, if not prohibitive, for most Filipinos who were rebuilding their lives.

With its first laboratories set up in the family garage, Pascuallab began producing alternative drugs to imported brands that were of equal quality yet more affordable, said Cenzon.

After years of staying as the country’s No. 14 company, Pascuallab is now in the 10th spot. The key to its growth, said Cenzon, is the company’s passion.

“The way we approach our work, the way we choose our product, the way we research what is good for the Filipinos, the way we treat our employees – everything is still based on the moral values established by my grandparents,” she said.

Passion

The theme “Passion for Health, Love for Life” is based on the company’s passion for excellence, moral uprightness, teamwork and social responsibility, said the newly installed Pascuallab president Manolo Escueta.

Take, for instance, the discovery of sugar in most mainstream toothpaste products. Like the alcohol-based mouthwash that keeps consumers in a vicious cycle of gargling mouthwash over and over to mask bad breath made worse by the same mouthwash, a toothpaste with sugar didn’t seem right, too, said Cenzo.

So this year, the company launched the OraCare Toothpaste, a sugar-free toothpaste with aloe vera to moisturize the gums. While priced a bit more compared to mainstream brands, OraCare Toothpaste is still more affordable than its imported counterparts.

“We are a local company that doesn’t pay royalties to a mother company or suppliers. Our cost is not as high and our prices are lower compared to multinational companies. We call this the superior consumer value, which doesn’t mean the lowest price in the market. It simply means we give consumers a better value for their money,” Escueta said.

Poten-Cee, for instance, is not only cheaper than most branded Vitamin C products. It also offers time-release tablets – something more expensive brands don’t have, Cenzon said.

(Time-release element is crucial to Vitamin C tablets, because the body flushes out excess vitamins through fluids such as urine. With time release, the vitamin is released in the system in acceptable amounts throughout the day.)

“We’re hoping that because we’re passionate about health and life, the lives of our employees, ourselves, and the Filipinos will improve. We take this job and our contribution to society very seriously,” Cenzon said.

Natural line

When it launched its very successful asthma and cough product, Ascof, a project made in collaboration with the Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology, Escueta said they were given the opportunity for product exclusivity. But Pascuallab chairman Dr. Abraham Pascual said it would benefit more people if the formula was shared.

Ascof, said Escueta, was the second fastest-selling product of Pascuallab, growing at 40 percent each year. Ascof is also the front-runner of the company’s “Chemical or Natural” campaign.

The company’s 42-hectare farm in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija, called Farm Leoni Agri Corp., is one of only two certified organic farms in the country. A member of the Organic Producers Trade Association of the Philippines, the farm produces the herbs the company uses for its natural line.

“Traditional medicine got a bad rap years ago as slow and ineffective medication. Today, we put the science in this tradition, refine the process through clinical studies so that we can guarantee its efficacy, and seal them in more acceptable forms, such as capsules,” Cenzon said.

Traditional or natural herbs may be making a comeback, but the key here is to also give consumers more choices. Cenzon said consumers could now choose from branded chemical-based medication, generic drugs or natural herbs.

“From the time my grandparents founded the company to my dad’s time, health [has always been] the work we do; it’s the business we’re involved in. Passion is the way we go about this work,” Cenzon said.

[c6josh]

that's something to be proud of, a Filipino company inventing something useful and healthy who says Filipinos are not innovative.