Philippine Generics Medicines Expo launched at SM

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Health-National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (DOH-NCPAM) yesterday launched this year's Philippine Generics Medicines Expo at SM City. The Expo will end today.

This activity aims to boost and sustain advocacy on quality and affordable medicines through generics use and its role and importance in improving wellness and compliance of patients to treatment regimens.

"Though medicine prices are going down due to voluntary price cuts and other initiatives, we could see that quality generic medicine prices are still much cheaper. Generic medicines give patients, consumers, and different health institutions value of their money. For patients suffering from hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, generic medicines allow our patients to better comply with or maintain their daily medication needs at much less costs. Money saved then be used for other needs of the family, so generic medicines help give hope and much healing," DOH Secretary Enrique Ona said.

"A decade ago, quality of generic medicines was in concern. But in the past years, with a compliance to current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) standards, we can now be assured of better quality generics in the market," Sec. Ona said.

After two years, the DOH and FDA honored some generic medicine manufacturers' compliant with international standards of current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). Today, the advocacy is geared towards promoting affordable medicines made by the companies.

The Philippine Generics Expo will also be held in other selected SM Malls. (THE FREEMAN)