More availability of generic drugs

By Espinosa Bellido Abogados

The Executive Power of Peru presented a bill to the Congress to ensure adequate access to these drugs to the population in all regions of the country. According to the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (Aspec), the difficulties in accessing generic drugs are increased outside of the country’s capital city, Peru.

"That is why it is important that there is a law that requires all businesses involved in the manufacture and marketing of medicines to be obliged to adopt measures so that consumers in all regions of the country can have access to drugs”, Crisólogo Cáceres, President of Aspec, told Agencia Andina. “The bill seeks to guarantee the issue of accessibility, that there is a stock so that consumers can acquire generic drugs and that the prices of said drugs are within their reach”, he added.

The bill indicates that Peru has various geographical, economical and health coverage barriers that complicate general public access to medicines. It is estimated that 25% to 30% of the population does not have access to essential medicines. Cáceres stressed that accessibility depends on the availability of generic drugs, a medication created to be the same as an existing approved brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, and performance characteristics, and generally only sold after patents and exclusivities protecting the brand-name version end.