The Social Security Department in putting out to tender the supply, storage, transportation and delivery of medication as needed.
Panama Government Purchase 2014-1-10-0-99-LP-123816:
"PUBLIC NOTICE ° 08-2014 FOR UNIT PRICING FOR SUPPLY, STORAGE, TRANSPORTATION AND DELIVERY AS NECESSARY, OF, DRUGS, SPECIAL MEDICATIONS, CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES AND NARCOTICS, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES AND OTHER SUPPLIES SET FORTH IN THE TENDER CONDITIONS, ITS ADDENDUMS AND ATTACHMENTS FOR HOSPITALS, CLINICS AND OTHER PLACES ESTABLISHED BY THE SOCIAL SECURITY DEPARTMENT NATIONWIDE DURING THE TERM OF TWELVE (12) MONTHS MINIMUM COVERING THE EFFECTIVE AND PURSUIT FISCAL TERM AND EXTENSION OF THE TERM. "
Between 2009 and 2013 generic drugs lost ground to original brands, reversing a trend seen in the last five years.
The generics market in the country has a value of $159 million and represents 36% of the drug market.
Although their prices are lower than original brand name drugs, in recent years purchases by the public sector have been declining, while in the private sector they are growing but timidly.
The Guatemalan government has extended until December the term of three contracts for the supply of medical supplies.
The first contract was extended by the Ministry of Finance and aims to acquire "products for oral and parenteral nutrition, contrast media, liquids and electrolytes, antiseptics, master formulas, vitamins and other products", reported PrensaLibre.com.
The government has extended for another year three open contracts for the provision of medical supplies, which should have expired in 2010.
Three ministerial agreements published in the Diario de Centro America explain that the measure was taken to avoid the shortage of drugs such as "analgesics and anti-inflammatories, antacids, antiemetics, anti-flatulents, enzymes, laxatives, oral nutrition, muscle relaxants, antihypertensives, anti-infectious, and antiseptics ... ", reported Prensalibre.com.
The Government of Honduras has overturned a drug tender for $24.4 million and announced that the purchase will be made through a trust with private banks.
Elheraldo.hn reports that "the purchase was declared unsuccessful based on the State Procurement Act being contrary to national interests in virtue of the fact that it involves the purchase of medicines at a higher price than currently received by the Health Department through a trust with the private banking system".
Although there are $5 million available for the purchase of medicines in the University Hospital, not one pharmaceutical company has submitted bids.
"We currently have funds in excess of $5 million, funds that we havent been able to use due to a lack of offers and we have to find a way out of this situation," said Julieta Castellanos, rector of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (Unah).
The Social Security Department in Panama is putting out to tender the supply and delivery of special medicines and other supplies to hospitals, clinics and other places to be determined.
Purpose of award:
PUBLIC NOTICE No. 01-2014 FOR UNIT PRICING FOR THE SUPPLY, STORAGE, TRANSPORTATION AND DELIVERY AS REQUIRED OF MEDICINES, SPECIAL MEDICINES: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES AND NARCOTICS, BIOLOGICAL AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES AND OTHER SUPPLIES THAT ARE SET OUT IN THE TENDER CONDITIONS, ITS ADDENDA AND ATTACHMENTS FOR HOSPITALS, CLINICS AND OTHER PLACES TO BE ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY DURING THE MINIMUM TERM OF TWELVE (12) MONTHS WHICH SPANS THE FISCAL YEAR AND EXTENSION OF THE TERM.
A new tender will be launched in three weeks, with corrections to the administrative errors that caused this cancellation.
The bidding process was declared void because there was no publication in the official newspaper La Gaceta as required by law.
"It has been explained that because of a point of law there was no advance publication in La Gaceta and this formality, which is fundamental, makes it necessary to restart the process at the earliest opportunity," said German Enamorado, a Human rights public prosecutor.
Pharmaceutical unions in El Salvador have denounced the regulations determining maximum pricing as being contradictory to the Medicines Act
Elsalvador.com reports that the legal counsel for Fedefarma y Diprofa, Luis Chávez, explained that the pricing for drugs is based on the active ingredient and not on each product: "This is the same as me asking for a point of law establishing a price ceiling on mobile phones.
Pharmaceutical industry representatives have expressed concerns about the regulation of the recently passed Medicines Act, noting that it will produce distortions in the functioning of the market.
In an article in Elsalvador.com FEDEFARMA's president, Alvaro Soto, said: "By setting maximum prices for medicines you can get the opposite effect: instead of prices going down, the cheapest generic medicines could go up.
The debts owed to suppliers amount to $33 million for medicines and a further $40 million for medical equipment.
Laprensa.hn reports that "the debt to medical providers has reached $73 million, of which 23 drugstores are claiming $33 million as a result of tenders and direct sales of medicines since 2010, while another $40 million corresponds to pending payments to 12 companies who distribute medical and surgical equipment. "
Two bills before the Guatemalan Congress are seeking free competition in medicines, including foreign manufacturers.
A bill submitted by the Lider party, also plans to exclude open contracts. "The goal of the new law would be free competition in medicines including non-national producers, facilitating imports in order to lower prices," said Edgar Ajcip from the Lider party.
National pharmaceutical companies will not be able to provide medicines to the government, which owes them more than $30 million for previous purchases.
Laprensa.hn reports that "The authorities of the Ministry of Health announced yesterday that the upcoming auction of medication may be awarded to international companies."
"The government owes about 600 million lempiras to national pharmacists, who have repeatedly said they will not participate in the tender for 2013, as they have no production capacity. The problem is that medicine businesses have undercapitalized their industries by granting multi million dollar loans to the State due to the lack of financial liquidity that for years has characterized government administrations. "
Guatemala's government is still extending contracts for the provision of medical supplies signed in the years 2005 to 2009, without calling for new tenders.
While the Ministry of Finance justifies the system of maintenaning open contracts, highlighting its use in different countries, opposition politicians argue that extensions of such contracts violate the principle of equality, the right to free competition, and that these extensions should be reserved only for exceptional cases.
The Government of Guatemala has extended for another year three out of the four packages of drug purchases worth approximately $38 million.
The head of the Ministry of Health stated that formulating the tender documents will take approximately six months. "First we had to supply the system with drugs, and thank God that has been done. But we have started working on the basis of the new contract.