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