MANILA, Philippines?An official of a drug company denied that it tried to stop the implementation of the cheaper medicines law by offering five million discount cards to the government.
?Syempre [of course], we're denying it. There was no intention to bribe,? Pfizer Philippines? corporate legal counsel Millete Asuncion said in a phone interview.
She did not say, however, if the offer actually took place as earlier claimed by Reineer Gloor, executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, at the hearing at the Senate by the congressional oversight committee on the implementation of the cheaper medicines law.
?It's really not true but I want to give you more information about that offer so it's clearer,? she further said in a text message
Asuncion said Pfizer would release a statement on the issue later.
During the hearing, Enrile branded the offer by Pfizer as a ?bribe? meant to stop the enforcement of the law that would effectively cut the prices of essential medicines by half.
