The DOH has concluded negotiations and discussions with Novartis Phils. Having entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated May 28, 2009. Under the MOU, Novartis will grant non-exclusive right to DOH market, promote and sell the Valsartan Products under the mark “DOH Valsartan” in all DOH Hospitals and some Local Government Units (LGUs) pharmacies.

Valsartan provides blood pressure (BP) reductions that lasts a full 24-hours, greater with increasing baseline systolic BP and across diverse patient types and it is available at strengths of Valsartan 80mg and Valsartan 160mg film-coated tablets.

This anti-hypertensive drug is still under patent until 2014 and has offered 50-60% cheaper compared to the prevailing market price.

Thirty (30) DOH Retained Hospitals and two (2) Provincial Health Offices (PHOs) participated in the first initial orders of Valsartan 80mg and 160mg film-coated tablets.