Dispensaries and medicines

Dispensaries and medicines

From Republika

Referring to the numerous complaints and writings doubting the
right of dispensaries to substitute other medicine for doctors'
prescriptions, I would like to inform the public as follows:

* In line with good dispensing practices, dispensaries are
allowed to substitute one brand of medicine for another brand, as
long as the contents are the same. Dispensaries resort to this
practice if the prescribed medicine is not available. The patient
does not need to search for a certain medicine, since there are
many medicines under other names which produce the same results.

* It should be realized that in our country, one type of
medicine may be manufactured by more than 30 pharmaceutical
companies under different brand names.

* The problem started when prescriptions were distributed
carrying the warning: "Medicines may not be altered without the
physician's knowledge." A survey conducted by an independent
dispensary that is not owned by a doctor or run in cooperation
with other doctors revealed that out of 100 prescriptions, only
30 doctors (30 percent) included the above reminder.

Is it true that alternative medicines of a different brand
could have serious effects?

Since the development of pharmaceutics, a standard for
medicine quality was set. This can be found in Farmakope (book of
medicine standards). A strict registration procedure has to be
followed using the right manufacturing methods, which guarantees
the quality of medicines.

THERESIA

Jakarta