President pushes wider use of generics drugs
Angelo S. Samonte, Reporter
Manila Times
President Gloria Arroyo on Friday urged all public health doctors to prescribe generic drugs to their patients instead of the branded ones that many Filipinos can’t afford.
The President made this pronouncement during the Pulong ng Bayan in Sta. Cruz, Manila, where she also revealed that her Botika sa Barangay program is getting an additional P500 million in seed capital. The Botika sa Barangay sells quality generic drugs at half the price of branded medicines sold in commercial outlets.
On top of that, Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to immediately approve for public use all drugs and medicines certified as safe by the United States Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA) so more affordable generic drugs can be sold to the public.
The Department of Health (DoH) was ordered to draft a memorandum to make it mandatory for all public health doctors to prescribe generic medicines for their patients instead of the branded items.
“The DoH must draft a memorandum circular instructing government doctors to prescribe generic medicines to make it accessible to the people. This is different from private practice since well-off families can easily buy expensive medicines,” the President said.
The President also said she wants the BFAD to approve drugs already certified as safe by its US counterpart so more affordable generic drugs, like those imported from India, could be sold to the public.
“If it is already approved by the USFDA it should be approved locally. All the medicines that come from India passed the USFDA standard and should be adopted locally to avoid red tape and provide the people with cheaper medicines,” she said.
Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila, who was with the President during the Pulong Bayan, vowed to provide stalls in the Central Market at Sta. Cruz, Manila for the Botika ng Barangay.
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