A viewer couldn’t help but worry when her mother came home from a checkup with a prescription for expensive branded medicine. Knowing they could barely afford it, she suggested asking the doctor for a generic alternative — but the response they got left her shocked and confused.
In the “Tanong ng Pilipino” segment of ‘CIA with BA’, Bianca from Antipolo, Rizal, shared a concern about her mother being prescribed branded medicines after a medical check-up.
“Alam kong mahal ‘yung branded na gamot kaya sinabihan ko siyang itanong kung puwede bang generic na lamang ang ilagay sa reseta,” she added.
However, according to Bianca, the doctor insisted that they only prescribe branded medicines. This prompted her to ask: “Tama po ba ito? Paano naman po ‘yung mga walang pambili tulad ng nanay ko?”
Atty. Matt Cesa, one of the program’s legal experts, explained that doctors are not supposed to limit prescriptions to branded medicines alone.
“To answer your question, no. Hindi naman [dapat] na wala silang choice,” he said.
“Actually, under the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act, required ‘yung mga doktor na kapag nagpe-prescribe [ng mga gamot] ay isulat ‘yung generic na pangalan ng gamot,” Cesa explained.
He further emphasized that branded and generic medicines are equally effective as they go through the same testing processes to ensure quality and safety.
“Ang pinagmulan naman kasi nito, whether generic ka or branded, same lang naman na epektibo ‘yung gamot dahil dumadaan naman ito sa tests na nag-eensure na quality siya at pasok siya,” he added.
“Hindi dapat na branded lang. Dapat ilagay ‘yung generic name. Optional lang kung gusto ng doktor ‘yung brand na gusto niya,” Cesa reiterated.
Led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and the King of Talk Boy Abunda, ‘CIA with BA’ continues the advocacy of the late Senator Rene Cayetano. The program airs every Sunday at 11:00 p.m. on GMA7, with a replay every Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on GTV.