Moving to make pricing and technical information of medical devices more accessible, the Philippines in June announced it is creating a database of such devices considered necessary for use in all health facilities maintained by the government. The move by government authorities comes two months after the Philippines for the first time aligned its system for approving the sale of medical devices with those of other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.
The database, the Philippine Essential Medical Device List (PEMDL), is designed to guide medical facilities in acquiring the medical devices that best fit their needs while providing more transparency on prices, technical specifications, and the supply of needed medical devices. A companion database, the Medical Devices and Supplies Price Reference List (MDSPRI), will contain recommendations on pricing. Both will be publically available on the websites of both the Philippines Department of Health and the Pharmaceutical Division.