At a recent press conference to announce a new partnership between the Generika Drugstore chain and Globe Telecom, Julien Bello said that compared to the Philippines, generic medicine was more widely distributed in Europe. The vice president of Generika Franchising Services Corp. noted that here, the market was still dominated by branded drugs.
Ironic, isn’t it? While people from affluent parts of the world patronize the much cheaper generics, citizens of a developing country, who sure can use all the savings to be made by adopting the same buying habit, continue to go for branded medicines, most of them produced by multinational companies.
And yet they constantly complain about the high cost of pharmaceutical products.
The problem, of course, is very few medical authorities tell them about the advantages of going generic, many prescriptions still containing branded medicines. Like most things in the Philippines, after the initial celebration of the passage of the Generic Drugs Act of 1988, implementation remains slow and uneven.
Worse, big drug companies even belittle the work of our own scientists in their aggressive campaigns to push their products, dismissing the lagundi cough medicine, for instance—the result of intensive research and experimentation by local scientists led by Dr. Nelia Maramba, recipient of the Outstanding Filipino award in 2004—as nothing more than dahon. Less discerning consumers would probably think the medicine was concocted by some quack doctor in his nipa hut filled with other supposedly magical potions and charms.
Incidentally, consumers should also compare prices of generic medicines. While they are cheaper than branded drugs, sometimes, the price difference between products made by big companies and those by smaller firms can be quite substantial. I found, for instance, that a bottle of 100 ascorbic acid tablets produced by a large drug company cost P15 more than a similar bottle from a smaller firm.
The partnership between Globe and Generika means customers can reload their prepaid phones when they buy medicines at the chain. Reloads are available from P10 to P150, at P1 increments. This means if the cashier is short on small change, people can just take what he or she owes them in reloads.
Feedback
Reader Ray Aquino wants authorities to look into claims by a fast-food chain that it serves dishes with shark fin. “If it’s true that it’s shark fin, I am concerned that such is an assault against these creatures. If not, then this fast-food chain is misleading the public.”
The movement to ban the use of shark fin as cooking ingredient is snowballing, although it has hardly created a ripple in the Philippines so far. Recently, the luxury Peninsula Hotels group announced that all its branches would no longer serve shark fin.
Sharks are an endangered species. Although vilified in Hollywood movies, sharks, like other species, have an important role in maintaining the balance of nature.
SSS in the mall
Following the example of other government agencies that serve large sections of the Philippine population, the Social Security System (SSS) will also be opening assistance desks at the Robinsons Malls’ Lingkod Pinoy Center.
This will make it easier for SSS members to transact business with the agency, as malls are usually along major transportation routes.
Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail [email protected]
