The Philippine government passed the Generics Act of 1988 to ensure that inexpensive and effective drugs are made available to all Filipinos. The law aims to supply and promote low-priced quality medicines as alternatives to the widely consumed but more expensive originator brands by requiring physicians to include in their prescriptions both the generic and brand names of the medicines. This Policy Note presents the results of a survey assessing the compliance of physicians and drugstores with the provisions of the law. The survey showed higher compliance among physicians than among drugstores and consumers. Among consumers, low awareness of the law was found, while drugstores demonstrated low compliance with the provision mandating them to display generic menu cards and offer generic alternatives. One of the recommendations is to change the mindset of consumers through continuous education drives that will reach the most important cluster of the population.
How Effective Has the Generics Act Been?
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