12:00 AM
Mommy Edna Reyes
Generic bill of the Philippines hopes to cut down cost on medicines and primarily help Filipino family to save on drugs costs. The Generic Bill imposes medical practitioners to give prescription writing down generic substitution for branded drugs. This has been the most debated issues until now, with different contrasting opinion from different parties involved.
But the decision to switch from branded one to generic is not merely because a law imposes it but because one decides to allow doctors and medical practitioners to use generic drugs unless the doctor says there’s no substitution.
There are some general information about generic drugs that parents like us should know to get the essence of this bill. Read on to get fully informed about this Generic Drugs.
1. Not every medication is available in Generic Form.
While it is true that doctors should write down generic prescription, not all drugs have generic substitute. When a new drug comes out, the manufacturer hold a patent for five to ten years thus preventing competitors in marketing generic form. Some newer drugs do not have generic form available at this time. Antibiotic like amoxicillin is a generic form and has no more brand names produced.
2. All generic forms are cheaper
In general, a generic is cheaper than a brand –name medication but how much cheaper depends on the great extend of how many companies are making it. If the original manufacturing is the only one making a generic form, the cost may only be minimal. But if many companies are making the generic versions, then there’s a big difference in price range.
3. All generic are money-savers
Paying less for a foul-tasting generic drug is more likely to spending more because your child won’t take it. In the end, you may end up buying better-tasting brand-name that your child will easily take. Some generic drugs have awful taste while brand-name has better taste which is more likely for a child to take than of the generic form.
In overview, generic can cut down cost on medicine expenses but it is still a matter of making the right decision. As parents, we don’t rely on the price alone but more on the welfare and wellness of our children. Our first priority is our family’s health, whatever the cost may be.
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