Law Summary
Objectives of the Order
- Establish guidelines to enforce exclusive generic name use in all Department of Health (DOH) facilities.
- Promote institutionalization of generic drug use by identifying key personnel and their responsibilities within DOH.
- Implement a monitoring system to ensure compliance with generic prescription requirements.
Scope and Applicability
- Applicable to all DOH-controlled facilities including hospitals, centers for health development, bureaus, offices, medical centers, sanitaria, and other operational units.
General Guidelines for Compliance
- Sole use of generic names in all drug-related transactions including procurement, prescription, dispensing, and administration.
- Inclusion of patent-protected drugs under generic name use without brand name specification.
- Heads of DOH facilities designated as National Drug Policy Compliance Officers responsible for promulgation, dissemination, and enforcement of the order.
- Non-compliance reports to be elevated with sanctions applied under RA 6675 and related laws.
Organizational Structure for Implementation
- Therapeutics Committees or designated personnel to serve as National Drug Policy Compliance Officers providing oversight and reporting to the facility head.
- Establishment of "Gamot Mabisa Abot-Kaya (GMA-50) Help Desk" in each DOH facility for public access to low-cost essential drugs, information on drug availability, rational drug use, and handling public complaints.
- Nurses’ stations to maintain updated lists of available drugs; physicians and nurses to prescribe based on hospital stock’s generic equivalents.
- Inclusion of generics promotion activities such as training, information dissemination, GMA-50 Help Desk operation, and annual Generics Month celebrations in facility work plans.
Monitoring and Reporting Requirements
- Quarterly submission by facility heads detailing activities related to the Generics Law, including listing personnel violating generic prescription rules.
Legal Provisions
- Separability clause ensuring other provisions remain effective if any part is invalidated.
- Repealing clause modifying or repealing conflicting previous orders or issuances.
- Immediate effectivity upon publication in two newspapers of general circulation.