Residents of the Summer Capital struggling to stretch their healthcare budgets, choosing a generic medicine over a brand-name drug could mean getting the same intended treatment at a lower cost, according to the City Health Services Office (CHSO) under Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes.
Faith Vanesa Kiat-ong, head of the CHSO Pharmaceutical Division, stressed the importance of making safe, effective and affordable medicines accessible to residents during the City Hall Hour media forum, Sept. 30, in line with the observance of Generics Awareness Month.
She said generic medicines undergo stringent regulatory requirements before they can be marketed, countering the misconception that lower-priced medicines are inferior to their branded counterparts.
Under Philippine regulations, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates medicines for safety, efficacy and quality and that generic drugs are required to meet applicable standards for their intended use, with requirements aimed at establishing their therapeutic equivalence to the reference product, Kiat-ong added.
“Choose safe, effective, and affordable medicines for your family’s health journey,” she advised.
Republic Act No. 6675, or the Generics Act of 1988, promotes and requires the use of generic terminology in the manufacture, distribution, marketing, prescription and dispensing of medicines.
The law also declares it a state policy to ensure an adequate supply of medicines identified by their generic names at the lowest possible cost and to make them available free, when possible, to indigent patients. ** Gaby B. Keith
