[MERGED]New Rx Needed for Generics Movement

[anghel]

i just don't know if there are similar threads na about this kwento of mine. anyway, i recently bumped into BFAD Dir. William Torres. I just couldn't help but laugh in disbelief about his kwento or his answers to my questions. It goes something like this.

Anghel: We have generics act, gaano po ba ka-effective ang implementation nito sa ngayon?

Dir. Torres: Actually kapag tiningnan mo ang trend ngayon, siguro mga 40 percent na ang nagpe-prescribe ng generics. Matatandang doctors nalang ang di nagpe-prescribe ng generics siguro dahil hindi naman nila pinag-aralan noong nag-aaral sila :D. Sa ngayon kasi, ang mga eskwelahan ng medisina, generics na ang ginagamit sa pagtuturo. So ang mga batang doctor, generics na ang ginagamit, pwera nalang iyung mga under ng influence ng multinationals sa branded na product, iyun talaga kontrolado nila yun. Naging scholars nila, pinaaral nila.

Anghel: Kasing effective po ba ng generic drugs ang mga branded medicines?
Dir. Torres: Siguro hindi 100 percent effective pero noong dumaan sa amin iyan at bago namin iparehistro iyan naipakita na the same sa multinational na branded ang quality.
Inaadvise namin sa mga doctor at pasyente na kapag binigyan sila ng prescription itanong sa doctor kung alin ang pinakamurang gamot na katumbas nito na kaya ko. Kasi ang ibang pine-prescribe ng doctor eh masyadong mahal. Pwedeng magtanong ang pasyente, which we are encouraging na, ano ba ang pwedeng ipalit sa pinescribe na mura.
Ang mga Government hospitals, di sila pwedeng gumamit ng brand names. Ang problema sa generic name, ang haba niyan isulat. Medyo nahihirapan ang mga doctor to write the generic name. ang iba siguro nakakalimutan na isulat ang generic name :D. so halos araw-araw me sina-sanction kami na mga doctor na nakalimutang isulat ang generic name. we remind them na isulat ang generic name. wala naman siguro sa intention nila ang di isulat ang generic name mahirap lang siguro isulat dahil mahaba :lol:.
Generics act was conceived para mabawasan sana ang gastos ng mga pasyente pero mukhang mahirap iyun kasi mahirap talagang tandaan ang generics name. kahit tanungin mo ang doctor diyan kung ano ang generic name, bibihira lang siguro ang nakakaalam. Siguro kahit mga chemist, nahihirapan din talagang ime-morize ang generic name na iyan eh. Pero kahit mahirap iyan, dahil me batas tayo kailangang sumunod. Kailangan me kodigo ka sa harap mo kapag nagpe-prescribe ka.

So pardon for my analysis pero feel ko sa sinabing ito ni Dir. Torres eh di masyadong marurunong ang mga old doctors when it comes to generic name ng medicines. And napaka-poor escape naman kung ang reason lang nila why they don't prescribe generic meds is because they are having a hard time writing it:D

To doctors, med students, and other pexers, pls. post your views.

[Ira]

Some doctors, whether young or old, don't believe in generic names because some fly-by-night manufacturers put starch or sugar instead of medicine. They'd rather use brand names from companies who they can trust and whose products they've tested as effective. For example, just recently, we prescribed phenytoin (an antiseizure medication) to an inpatient. The patient was religiously given his medication, but he still had seizures. We finally decided to get a phenytoin assay to check the level of the drug in his blood, and the result was zero level. The drug given was a cheaper alternative to a well-known phenytoin brand name, Dilantin, manufactured by a small drug company.

I'm not trying to excuse these doctors, just that there are 2 sides to a story. Even if BFAD says that stringent rules are being implemented, there are still a lot of generic "drugs" being sold that are ineffective. If you are a private physician, would you stake your reputation on generic drugs whose efficacy you're not sure of? These doctors would rather prescribe something effective, albeit more expensive, than to risk being called "di magaling" because the patient had the misfortune of purchasing placebos.

[anghel]

thanks for your wonderful response (as ever) doc Ira. kaya lang po natatawa lang ako sa excuse ng bfad na iyung mga old doctors daw have a hard time remembering the generic name which is nakakatawa naman on my part. kasi, as far as i know, doctors are intelligent beings, tapos having a hard time writing and remembering the generic names, para namang dine-degrade ang mga doctors natin which is nakakainis na nakakatawang excuse nila. :angel:

[Ira]

I think Dr. Torres probably just took that hirit too seriously. It was probably only said as a jest. :) It's very easy to remember the generic names since there are relatively only a few generic names you need to remember well, and if a physician forgets, there is always MIMS close at hand which they give away to doctors free in every clinic and in the hospital.

[the_poll_master]

i would definitely say that doc ira is right.

there are only a handful of generic names compared to a whole lot of brand names of medicines.

the thing also that i noticed is that branded medicines work much, much better than their generic counterparts. not withstanding the possibility that some may be placebos or mixed with starches and sugars but really, patients are better off using the branded ones.

as i usually tell my patients, there is no harm in trying the generic rx. i do prescribe them but i never forget to make precautionary reminders to the pxs that when drugs are cheaper expect it not to be as effective as the more expensive ones.

right, doc?

[summit012]

doc, ask ko lang if generic antibiotics r as effective as the branded ones? d branded costs more than P30 while the generic one is only P5. layo ng price...effective kaya?

[leela1025]

Yes, generic antibiotics/vitamins/medicines are just as effective as branded ones. The only difference is the price. RiteMED products are generics that don't cost as much as other medicines.

[tintable]

@leela: hmm...you sound like a med rep for Unilab ah..:D

@summit: just make sure that the generic drugs you use are from quality manufacturers as well. There are some drugs that aren't that effective because the drug content is not appropriate or is pilfered.

The reason why "branded" drugs cost more is because of the name you have to pay for. Moreover, since majority of them hold drug patents and are into research and development, overhead cost increases and are therefore passed on to the consumers in the end. :)

[stopandpop]

HEALTH AND THE FILIPINO (http://pcij.org/i-report/2006/generics.html)
by ALECKS P.PABICO

Hailed as a landmark piece of legislation almost two decades ago, R.A. 6675 — more popularly known as the generics law — has unfortunately suffered from years of lax implementation.

AMONG ALFREDO Romualdez Jr.'s saddest experiences as a physician, one that he says he continues to encounter, involves his regular trips to the drugstore. "You cannot miss this scene," shares Romualdez, who was the health secretary during the brief presidency of Joseph Estrada. "Somebody with a prescription, say for antibiotics for one week, comes up to the sales clerk and pleads, 'This is the only money I have. Is it possible to buy just one or two tablets or whatever this amount can afford?'"

"The poor," he continues, "will spend all their money, give as much as they can bear, which is usually too much for them especially if it concerns catastrophic illnesses."

http://pcij.org/i-report/2006/generics.html

[CoolCucumber]

I always buy generics. Mas mura talaga. ;)


:rpflag:

[smilewarrior]

If I'm not mistaken, we are required by law to indicate the generic name of whichever medication we prescribe.

[reydat]

For non-doctors, try reading this article on how to benefit from generic drugs: www.healthypinoy.com/articles/generic-drugs.html

Cheers!

reydat
- reydat, sorry I have to remove the link to your website, pasensya na just doing my job - smilewarrior......Peace tayo ha

[ms_mo]

hi! i am a pharmacist by profession. and the article you posted is true. sad but true. most multinational pharmaceutical companies chase our doctors for them to prescribe their brands. as a result, more expensive medicines. and in terms of quality, safety and efficacy, di naman nagpapahuli ang mga generic meds.

smilewarrior: you are right doc. doctors are required by law to indicate the generic name of the medicine you are prescribing with a given format:

GENERIC NAME
(Brand name)
Direction or instruction

[pro_tempore]

i can attest to this. pag sa maynila ako nagpa-checkup, maski antibiotics, mahirap humingi ng generic name.

not that you can blame them, of course. they do need the money, and they are being pressured. but that's precisely why you have to do your research, too.

[smilewarrior]

^^
Hello there.

For as far as I know, physicians and dentists do not benefit financially if we were to indicate the particular brand name of a certain drug in the prescription.

There is no pressure involved. Besides, most patients nowadays aren't afraid to ask whether the generic name is indicated or not.

[smilewarrior]

hi! i am a pharmacist by profession. and the article you posted is true. sad but true. most multinational pharmaceutical companies chase our doctors for them to prescribe their brands. as a result, more expensive medicines. and in terms of quality, safety and efficacy, di naman nagpapahuli ang mga generic meds.

smilewarrior: you are right doc. doctors are required by law to indicate the generic name of the medicine you are prescribing with a given format:

GENERIC NAME
(Brand name)
Direction or instruction

Hello ms_mo.

I do understand where you're coming from. A lot of what you're saying is true.

"Chase" might be too strong a word though.

[stepehenyan@12]

ritemed binibili ko compared sa mas mahal na brand for instance i bought amoxicillin 500mg pag di generic aabutin ka ng 9 pesos sa ritemed 6pesos per capsule

[ms_mo]

hi doc! yeah..chase might be a strong word to describe how med reps interact with doctors for lack of proper term...my apologies. however, i also have physician friends who told us stories how certain multinational pharma companies sponsor their trips abroad for a conference or shoulder their seminar fee and the likes. and for sure these "sponsorships" are added cost to the price of the products these companies sell. imagine the cost of a hypertensive drugs manufactured in india , distributed by multinational pharma company cost less by at least a 100% compared to the same brand manufactured or distributed here.

[reydat]

reydat, sorry I have to remove the link to your website, pasensya na just doing my job - smilewarrior......Peace tayo ha

No problem! We have to do what we have to do. :)

reydat