Drs. Romy Quijano and Iggy Agbayani on IVM

May 04, 2021

From Dr. Romeo Quijano, retired Professor of UP College of Medicine. He was Doc Iggy Agbayani's former teacher at UPCM and Doc Iggy shared this in the CDC PH group:

Ivermectin oral preparation is listed in the Philippine Formulary of Essential Drugs 7th edition(2008) which contained detailed information. It was listed under the section "PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS IN THE PNDF THAT ARE NOT PRESENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET BUT ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL". The Formulary does not restrict the use of any drug to any specific disease. However, in the simplified 8th edition (2017) of the formulary, much of the detailed information in the 7th edition was missing and apparently, the list contained only available products. Ivermectin was no longer in the simplified list. According to the FDA, the ivermectin manufacturer (Merck) did not renew the registration of their product (oral formulation for human use).  The FDA argues that there is no more oral ivermectin product registered for human consumption and therefore any ivermectin oral preparation being used or prescribed is illegal.  At the same time, the FDA says that a duly licensed pharmacist can “compound” or prepare an ivermectin oral formulation if prescribed by a duly licensed physician but this was contradicted by the DOH spokesperson and the medical societies.

However, clearly stated in ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 0024 (June 16, 2016), on the Institutionalization of the Inter-Agency Advisory Council for the Implementation of Republic Act No. 9502 otherwise known as the"Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of2008", an essential drug is "selected based on the evidence of  their efficacy, safety and comparative cost-effectiveness. These medicines shall be made available and affordable at all times”. Since ivermectin is an essential drug, the  government is obligated to make it "available and affordable at all times". The fact that a specific ivermectin product of a particular manufacturer is no longer available in the market does not invalidate the listing  of ivermectin as an essential drug since the listing does not refer to any specific product of a manufacturer.

Even granting (without admitting, of course) that ivermectin is unproven, under this pandemic, the physician is ethically bound to prescribe ivermectin to his patient. The World Medical Association  Helsinki Declaration says that “In the treatment of an individual patient, where proven interventions do not exist or other known interventions have been ineffective, the physician, after seeking expert advice, with informed consent from the patient or a legally authorised representative, may use an unproven intervention if in the physician’s judgement it offers hope of saving life, re-establishing health or alleviating suffering.”
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May 05, 2021

To my compatriots,

I am making an urgent appeal for all us to actively engage those who would like to stifle our voices and stop the access of our people to IVERMECTIN. There is a grand scheme to stop the supply of, probably, the only drug which could help us end this pandemic and improve our current circumstance. The recent statements of the Philippine Medical Association, the Philippine College of Physicians, the DOH and the FDA to revoke our licenses for prescribing IVERMECTIN  is doing the rounds in social media. Likewise, the compounding laboratories and the act of distribution are being questioned and may be stopped in the near future. 

I ask that we actively ENGAGE them, REACT and MAKE OUR VOICES BE HEARD. Money is being funneled in the social media platforms so that those of us offering prevention and cure will be drowned out with their propaganda in the hope that what we offer will be disposed of with certainty. Just type IVERMECTIN and you will see all the news reports which I hope you will take time to challenge those who malign us.

What we lack in power, money and resources, we overcome with common sense, sincerity and the grace of the Almighty. We are fighting for the lives of our families and of our people - there is nothing more NOBLE than that. Salamat po.

Dr. Iggy Agbayani
President
Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines (CDC PH)
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Below are some of the slides of Doc Iggy in his many lectures.