The Board of Investments (BOI) revealed that the Philippines remains heavily dependent on imported medicines, despite having a number of local players in the pharmaceutical industry.

During a recent public forum hosted by the Philippine Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industries (PCPI), dubbed “Ensuring Medicine Security; Strengthening the Philippine Pharma Industry,” key stakeholders outlined specific reforms and partnerships that could reshape the country's approach to medicine security.

At the forum, DTI-Board of Investments Executive Director Corazon Dichosa presented market data highlighting both opportunity and structural imbalance.

“The local pharmaceutical industry is valued at $4.5 billion with projected 4.1 percent annual growth until 2029, yet remains critically dependent on imports, with government statistics showing only 46 manufacturers compared to 650 importers,” she revealed.

“The Philippine export of medicines to other countries is virtually non-existent,” according to Dichosa.

She also warned of the looming influx of U.S.-made medicines entering the country with zero tariffs as part of a bilateral trade concession, following Washington’s decision to impose a 19 percent tariff on all U.S.-bound exports from the Philippines.

For his part, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Paolo Teston framed medicine security as both a public health imperative and a matter of national resilience, drawing lessons from recent global health crises.

"Security in medicine is not only a public health concern but a matter of national resilience. We have learned from recent global health crises that ensuring access to safe, effective, and affordable medicines is as critical as safeguarding our food supply or securing our borders," Teston emphasized.

However, Teston clarified that supply availability must be balanced with quality standards. "For the FDA, it is also about the safety, efficacy, and quality of every health product that reaches the Filipino people. We will ensure that every tablet, capsule, or vial that reaches the Filipino people has undergone the most rigorous scientific review and uncompromising evaluation," he said.

Teston vowed to ease regulatory barriers without compromising safety to strengthen the competitiveness of the local pharma industry. Other FDA initiatives include digitalization, reliance mechanisms with strict regulatory authorities, and the hiring of additional personnel to help reduce application backlogs.

Private-public partnership

PCPI President Dr. Lloyd Balajadia assured government officials of the private sector’s support for the reform agenda.

“Only private-public partnership can drive progress, and with new leaders coming in, it is possible,” Balajadia said, positioning industry collaboration as essential for meaningful change.

He outlined an ambitious vision connecting pharmaceutical development to broader economic diplomacy. "In the same way that Filipino nurses are driving a positive image of the Philippines abroad, the healthcare industry can likewise be an offensive tool for economic growth and diplomacy," Balajadia said.

The PCPI president specifically highlighted mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) as strategic pathways for Philippine pharmaceutical companies to enter foreign markets. These agreements could enable streamlined regulatory approval processes across ASEAN and other regions, potentially transforming the Philippines from an import-dependent market to a regional pharmaceutical hub.

PCPI is the largest association of pharmaceutical firms in the country, composed mostly of Filipino-owned companies.

On the legislative side, Congressman Ciriaco Gato, chairperson of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Health, called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address systemic industry barriers.

“We in Congress are cognizant of the numerous concerns that plague the local pharma industry. Regulatory bottlenecks, the prevalence of counterfeits, the high cost of production, reliance on and apparent bias for imports are among issues that must be addressed in the exercise of Congress’s legislative oversight powers,” Gato said.

“We at the Committee on Health and other relevant committees commit ourselves to reviewing executive issuances that restrict or even prohibit the local pharma industry from effectively functioning in the delivery of medicines that will satisfy the health needs of the population,” he added.