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The Department of Health (DOH) reported that more and more Filipinos are buying generics drugs. The news was reported by DOH secretary Francisco Duque III who said that 6 out of 10 Filipinos are now opting for generic medicines over the more expensive branded counterparts.

The health secretary said that this is paving the way for healthy competition in the local pharmaceutical industry. Some generic medicines are up to 80 percent cheaper that the branded medicines.

A generic drug is a quality copy of original or “innovator” medicines developed by major pharmaceutical firms. In the Philippines, a company that develops a particular medicine has 20 years of exclusive rights to produce and sell that product. When the 20-years period expires, other companies can make quality copies and sell them at a lower price. This is as stated under Republic Act 6675 or the Generics Act of 1998.

“This emerging generation of wise consumers is growing and has prompted a reduction in prices in medicines such as paracetamol and amoxicillin, among others,” Duque said.

The DOH signed an agreement with Cancer Warrior Foundation as part of the Generics Awareness month celebration. The agreement will see the foundation investing P20 million for the purchase of generic anti-cancer medicines for children with leukemia through PITC-Pharma, which offered the drug at a price which is five times cheaper than the innovator counterparts.

There is however a misconception among local consumers that branded medicines are more effective than their generic counterparts. To help educate consumers and remove this misconception, Duque is encouraging physicians to prescribe to patient generics drugs instead of branded medicines.

“It’s amazing that many of our countrymen do not know that what they are really using are generic drugs. For example, the generic medicine paracetamol can be bought as Biogesic, Tempra, Calpol or as generic—only the brands and price differ but they have the same quality,” said Duque.

“If more doctors prescribe generic medicines and more people use them, these will further drive down medicine prices and make medicine more accessible especially for the poor,” Duque added.