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How to spot fake medicines during COVID-19 pandemic

August 3, 2020 The COVID-19 crisis has fueled the surge of not only fake face masks and other medical products related to the pandemic but also counterfeit medicines, especially those over-the-counter (OTC) or sold without prescription. As COVID-19 cases continue to increase globally, so are the counterfeiters who are exploiting the growing gaps in the market. Recently, the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an advisory against the purchase and use of counterfeit drugs. A counterfeit drug is a fake drug. Counterfeit drugs are those with the wrong or contaminated ingredients, with the correct ingredients but wrong amounts, or without the active ingredients. They can also be mislabeled, and can apply to both generic and branded products. In addition, they are not registered with the FDA and did not go through validation and standard tests to confirm their quality, safety, and efficacy. Selling or offering for sale of such is a violation of R.A. 8203 and FD
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Avoid these drugs when you have dengue

October 30, 2020 It’s raining here in the Philippines. Dengue is probably lurking around! Dengue is a disease transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito called Aedes aegypti and other species such as Aedes albopictus. It is common in tropical countries like the Philippines, and has become one of the fastest growing mosquito-borne diseases in the world. The most common symptom of dengue is fever that can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, rash, and pains, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone. From the latest data of the Department of Health (DOH), it is reported that from January to August 2019, there were a total of 271,480 dengue cases nationwide. This is 95% higher compared to the same period in 2018. Majority of cases in the country are said to come from Regions VI, IV-A, X, III, and National Capital Region (NCR). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no specific medication for dengue fever. Patients are advised to seek medical at
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Pharmacist’s take on Covid-19 vaccine

February 5, 2021 It’s no secret that the Philippines has been a victim of a partially studied and politically-influenced vaccination program. In 2017, news broke out about the administration of a dengue  vaccine  to public school children, with reports of no parental consent, and included those healthy seronegative (previously uninfected) individuals. The vaccination was suspended because the Philippine government was advised by the  vaccine  manufacturer that its seronegative recipients would be at higher risk of severe breakthrough dengue infections.   The controversy was fueled further when investigations revealed that the purchase of vaccines began with the impending 2016 national elections, making speculations that corruption, indeed, played a major role.    This unfortunate history left an excruciating scar on the hearts of many Filipinos. It left a repugnant message that even our own government can not protect us.   This ethical issue impacted succeeding public health concerns.
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Conquering the Superstition

At the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the Philippines, there has been a myth that exiting through the Arch of the Centuries while studying there will bar you from graduating from the university. Well, that happened to me, not permanently but for a while. That is because, way back in 2012, as a fresh blood in the university and a new M.S. Pharmacy student, I happened to roam around the historical landmarks of the campus after the first day of school. I remember it was a Saturday because the classes I enrolled in for my  degree  were all on the weekends since I was working on weekdays as a full-time Pharmacy instructor at a different institution. At the time, I  hadn’t even opened the student handbook or read any school announcement. In other words, I was too confident that everything would be perfectly fine without doing either of these. The Arch of the Centuries, UST 2018 Photo Credit: Eri Yunson    With my desire to get to know the university on that Saturday an
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War on fake drugs

  March 29, 2018 President Duterte has now included in his famed drug war the fake or counterfeit drugs. Counterfeit drugs, as defined in Republic Act 8203 otherwise known as Special Law on Counterfeit Drugs, are products with the wrong or contaminated ingredients, with the correct ingredients but not in their required amounts, or without the active ingredients resulting to decreased drug safety, efficacy, quality, strength or purity. Counterfeit medicines can also be defined as mislabeled or with fake packaging, and can apply to both generic and branded products. To boot, these drugs are not registered with the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and did not go through validation and standard tests to confirm their quality, safety, and efficacy. Counterfeiting drugs is a global problem, a big business worth billions of dollars, targeting mostly developing countries like the Philippines. It is a massive trend to criminals but it is also a public health risk and
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Pharmacist on Board

August 8, 2017 It was the upsurge of Typhoon Gorio when I was coming home from Espa ῆ a on a late Wednesday afternoon. I was sitting next the FX driver, and amid the angry splash of raindrops upon the wind shield and the heavy smog upon the window on my side, I could still hear the conversation of two fellow female passengers behind me. At first, I didn ’t mind whatever it was they were discussing but once they talked of the one thing that bothered most of pharmacists like me, I couldn’t help but already get vigilant. The younger female was sniffing as she wiped her red nose with a towel and the other vigorously sharing that she would take Amoxicillin upon arriving home to prevent herself from getting common cold, as well. The antibacterial drug, Amoxicillin, that she mentioned got my ears open wide but the viral disease, common cold, that she also mentioned got my ears open even wider. It ’s not a habit of mine to intrude on other people’s conversation, especially on comple
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Pharmacist’s take on war on drugs

President Duterte has famously said, “My God, I hate drugs.” As a pharmacist, I couldn’t agree more. Pharmacists do take it literally because of the large number of drugs in the market that have to be memorized and studied, especially now that there is a continuous manufacture of new drugs. To the layperson, a drug is a substance that can treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent diseases. An illegal drug is any substance that is prohibited by law because it is known to have psychoactive effects and addicting potential. Illegal drugs are not prescribed by a physician or bought from a drugstore; they are unlawfully sold in streets and other places with corresponding code names such as “shabu” for methamphetamine hydrochloride or “MJ,” “weed,” or “chongki” for marijuana. ADVERTISEMENT Actually, many legal drugs are psychoactive and can cause addiction as well. These include the sedative-hypnotics, the antiseizure drugs, the anesthetics, and others that target the brain. The
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