The government has exempted more cancer, diabetes, and mental health medicines from value-added tax (VAT), days after the signing of the CREATE MORE Act.

In its latest advisory, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) endorsed the VAT exemption for 10 additional medicines that would benefit Filipinos suffering from cancer, diabetes, and mental health conditions.

The following medications are now exempt from VAT:

CANCER:

• Degarelix: Freeze-dried powder for solution for injection (80 mg and 120 mg)

• Tremelimumab: Concentrate for solution for infusion (25 mg/1.25ml, 20 mg/ml)

DIABETES:

• Sitagliptin: Film-coated tablet (25mg, 50mg, 100mg)

• Sitagliptin: (as hydrochloride) + Metformin Hydrochloride: Film-coated tablet (50mg/1g, 50 mg/850mg)

• Sitagliptin (as hydrochloride monohydrate): Film-coated tablet (25mg, 50mg)

• Linagliptin: Film-coated tablet (5mg)

MENTAL ILLNESS:

• Clomipramine Hydrochloride: Film-coated tablet (25 mg).

• Chlorpromazine (as hydrochloride): Tablet (200 mg).

• Midazolam: Film-coated tablet (15 mg).

Cancer and diabetes are among the leading causes of death in the Philippines.

Four million adults in the country have diabetes, and over 87 percent are either overweight or obese.

Meanwhile, in 2020, there were over 150,000 new cancer diagnoses and over 90,000 deaths.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on 12 November, signed into law Republic Act (RA) 12066, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy or CREATE MORE Act.

According to Marcos, the new law builds on the economic reforms introduced by RA 11534 or the CREATE Law which was passed in 2021.

The original law aimed to help businesses recover losses incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic by lowering corporate tax rates and streamlining fiscal incentives.