Pharma group: Replenishing med stocks may take 2 to 3 days

Replenishing supplies of anti-flu pills in drug stores that have run out of stock may take two to three days, the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) said Thursday.  

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, PHAP Vice President Jannette Jakosalem said that manufacturers are already “doubling efforts” to resupply these medicines for symptoms like fever, within the next few days.

“On average, two to three days, kaya namang mag-deliver. ‘Yung sa mga probinsya, pwedeng mas matagal ng konti lalo na kung medyo malayo sila sa warehouse namin,” she said.

(On average, we could deliver within two to three days. It may take longer to deliver to provinces, especially those that are far from our warehouse.)

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday confirmed that pharmaceutical firms have been working to quickly replenish the supply of branded medicines in drugstores.

Jakosalem stressed that there are other branded or generic medicines available for the public and they could thus ask the attending pharmacist.

“To be honest, meron pa rin talagang out of stock sa pangilan-ngilan na areas and specific na mga butika. Out of stock siya of specific brands kaya ang ine-encourage nga namin, marami namang ibang brand na available ng paracetamol, ng analgesic, pwede silang bumili ng kung ano ‘yung available,” she added.

(There are still several areas and drugstores that have run out of stock for specific brands. That’s why we encourage people to buy other paracetamol or analgesic brands available.)

Further, Jakosalem said there would be no hoarding and price increase issues in properly registered drugstores as the pharmacy industry is heavily regulated.

She however noted that black markets that sell flu medicines are possible and penalties for such would be charged by the government.

“Sa mga kaso kasi ng shortage, hindi mo talaga maiiwasan na papasok ang black market. ‘Yun naman hindi na namin mako-control,” she said, adding that only licensed drugstores could sell medicines, especially the prescribed ones, under the Pharmacy Law.

(In case of shortage, you couldn’t really avoid the entry of black markets. We could no longer control that.)

On Tuesday, local pharmaceutical giant Unilab Inc. apologized to its customers over the temporary shortage of some medicine brands in selected drugstores due to "extraordinary [high] demand." —LBG, GMA News