LIST: 21 medicines added to VAT-exempt list

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has expanded its list of medicines which are exempt from the value added tax (VAT).

Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 17-2024 released by the tax bureau exempted 21 medications following the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration.

The VAT-exempted medications on the list are for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, kidney disease, mental illness and tuberculosis. 

Below is the full list of additional VAT-exempted medications:

For cancer

• Panitumumab (100mg/5ml) (concentrate solution for infusion)
• Fulvestrant (50mg/ml) (concentrate solution for infusion)

For diabetes

• Teneligliptin (as hydrobromide hydrate) (20 mg)
• Sitagliptin (as phospate monohydrate) + Metformin HCI (50mg/500mg)
• Sitagliptin (50 mg)
• Sitagliptin (10 mg)
• Metformin Hydrochloride (500 mg)

For high cholesterol

• Atorvastatin Calcium (20 mg)
• Atorvastatin + Fenofibrate (40 mg/160 mg)

For mental illness

• Desvenlafaxine (as succinate monohydrate) (50 mg)

For tuberculosis

• Bedaquiline (as Fumarate) (100 mg)
• Isoniazid + Pyridoxine HCI (200mg/10 mg per 5 ml)

For hypertension

• Clonidine Hydrochloride (150 mcg/mL, solution for Injection [IM/IV])
• Clonidine Hydrochloride (150 mcg, tablet)
• Lisinopril (as dihydrate) (5mg, tablet)
• Lisinopril (as dihydrate) (10 mg, tablet)
• Lisinopril (as dihydrate) (20 mg, tablet)

For kidney diseases

• Mannitol (20g/100ml, solution for Injection [IV])
• Tolvaptan (15 mg, tablet)
• Tolvaptan (30 mg, tablet)
• Alpha Ketoanalogues + Essential Amino Acids (film-coated tablet)

The additional medications will be included among the 59 medications that were previously exempted from the 12% tax in accordance with Section 109 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as modified by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law  and Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act.