Since the declaration of the public health emergency, we at PHAP have worked side by side with the government and medical frontliners to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the lives and health of Filipinos.
As a science-driven industry, we are in a unique position to respond to this global health threat, working without rest and risking our own health and safety to save as many lives as possible.
The research-based biopharmaceutical industry has utilized decades of scientific knowledge to fast-track the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and medicines for COVID-19.
Our continuing investments and commitment to biopharmaceutical innovation have enabled us to develop these safe and effective interventions that helped slow the spread of the disease, and mitigate the serious consequences of COVID-19 on health, safety, and the country’s economy.
In less than a year, our industry has developed a vaccine against COVID-19 while treatments for mild, moderate and severe cases have also been repurposed or developed in manufacturing facilities around the globe.
3 LESSONS FROM THE PANDEMIC
It is true that the public health emergency status of COVID-19 is over. However, health experts believe that it will not be the final health emergency we will face. Allow me to share with you three lessons that we learned from confronting the pandemic head on.
First, biopharmaceutical innovations from innovative diagnostics, vaccines and treatments, have helped save lives. Beyond COVID, an environment conducive for biopharmaceutical innovations must be created and sustained for us to prevent, manage and cure other life-threatening diseases that still impact Filipino children, women, men and the elderly members of our families.
We have already entered the era of targeted and even personalized medicine. It is imperative that these innovations are to be made accessible, and available to Filipino patients right here, right now because they could potentially save more lives.
Moving on to the second lesson, strengthening health systems was necessary so that COVID-19 technologies are accessible to every Filipino. PHAP members have worked tirelessly to make the Philippines a priority country to receive supplies of medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics vis-à-vis the country’s health needs.
During the pandemic, PHAP members closely collaborated with the government in monitoring the supply of needed medicines, and even chartered flights to make these life-saving innovations available to Filipino patients amidst global demand and strict lockdowns.
Health system building blocks from logistics monitoring, efficient referral networks, healthcare funding, governance, medicines and massive information campaigns needed to be in place at the height of the pandemic.
Accelerating the rollout of UHC and pertinent laws like the Cancer Control Act would aid in strengthening our local health systems so that they may better respond to the healthcare needs of Filipinos.
Finally, public and private partnerships were crucial in developing, scaling up, and distributing these important health technologies. The same collaborative mindset and practices can be applied to enable faster regulatory processes, a more efficient supply chain, and ultimately, provide greater access to diagnostics, vaccines, and medicines for Filipinos.
COMMITTED TO PARTNERSHIPS
We, from PHAP, remain committed to partnerships to enable access to innovations, and health systems strengthening in support of the government, the medical and healthcare communities, and patients for better health, social development and economic progress.
I strongly urge everyone in this hall to not forget the lessons taught by COVID-19. May this publication serve as a reminder of the power of innovation and collaboration for us to better prepare for and respond to current and future healthcare challenges.
We dedicate this book to the millions of Filipinos, our heroes, who fought COVID-19.
I thank the people who served as credible resource persons for our publication, our speakers and panelists who are with us today, and the journalists who are covering this event.
I also express my deepest appreciation to all PHAP members for being our silent frontliners during the pandemic. We all will live up to our collective mission to bring vaccines and medicines needed by fellow Filipinos to allow them to live healthier and longer.
