By TONY CHAVEZ
In commemoration of the 36th Anniversary of the Generics Act of 1988, the Department of Health (DOH), led by Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa, culminates the celebration of the Generics Awareness Month with the conduct of the 2024 Philippine Generics Summit last September 27, 2024.
Also present are DOH Assistant Secretary Maylene Beltran, ASec Paolo Teston, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Samuel A. Zacate. The event was also graced by other senior officials and representatives from other key stakeholders.
The Generics Act supports the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act (Republic Act No. 11223) by ensuring all Filipinos have access to quality and cost-effective medicines. The DOH aims to increase demand for generic medicines as more affordable, but equal quality option to encourage patients complete treatment. Furthermore, DOH aims to promote rational use of medicine for better health management, highlighting the essence of ”Ligtas, dekalidad, at mapagkalingang serbisyo” of the Department’s 8-Point Action Agenda.
Secretary Herbosa noted that high out-of-pocket expenses, particularly in marginalized communities, continue to pose as a significant barrier to accessing much-needed treatment. While generic medicines dominate the Philippine pharmaceutical market by license type, with generic medicines accounting for 90% of sales, consumer preference for branded drugs and limited physician adoption hinder the wider use of generics.
“We must confront the reality that consumer preferences and physician prescribing patterns have not fully shifted in favor of generics. These are challenges we need to address head-on with renewed vigor. This summit serves as a platform to inspire more proactive collaboration to promote the use of generic medicines and ensure that no one is left behind dahil sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Buhay Mahalaga,” said Secretary Herbosa.
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