NNA - Member of the "Democratic Gathering" Parliamentary Bloc, MP Wael Abou Faour, considered in an issued statement today, that "despite all the commendable efforts made by Caretaker Minister of Health, Dr. Firass Abiad, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Comrade Bilal Abdallah, the suffering of cancer patients continues..."

He pointed to the inevitable need for radical solutions, "the first of which is the state's importation of medicines directly without going through the greed of some companies," or "through resorting to the option of supporting patients instead of companies through purchasing licenses."

"Certainly, until that happens, companies' profits must be reconsidered by issuing a new decision on the basis of drug pricing in terms of reducing companies' profits," he added.

"The size of the pharmaceutical sector has reached an average of $1.36 billion annually over a period of 10 years as a minimum, which means that companies have made outrageous profits over the past years and their responsibility is to contribute to bearing the burden of the crisis in these circumstances," underlined Abou Faour.

He concluded by calling for "brave steps in medicine, in particular, as in flour and other basic livelihood commodities."

============R.Sh.