The new Philippine Generic Drugs Act: a physician's viewpoint

To ensure that affordable and effective drugs are made available to all Filipinos, the Philippine government passed the Generics Act of 1988. The Act has generated much heated debates from both local and international health providers. A preliminary evaluation of a survey of the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of physicians towards the Act showed that 70% are opposed to the Act. A majority of these physicians believe that the Bureau of Food and Drugs is not capable of ensuring the quality of the generic drugs. The success of the Act's implementation may lie in the ability of the government to ensure the quality of generic drugs and to disseminate relevant information to the practicing physicians.