Pharmacy offers a range
of generic medication

These days the business of dispensing drugs has become a trade indifferent to the emotional and mental condition of patients and their relatives. The Generics Pharmacy operates on the principle of serving, a welcome addition to the pharmaceutical landscape.

It stemmed from its mother company, which has been registered since 1949. In 1959, when a group of Filipino entrepreneurs took over the reins, the company began importing and wholesaling pharmaceutical products. In 1989, with the skyrocketing of prices of medical and pharmaceutical products, the firm made a noble venture. This is to sell generic drugs to help less privileged Filipinos avail of medicines that would otherwise be prohibitive in cost.

"It was a chance for us to give back to the public. At a time when prices were steadily going up, more and more Filipinos were foregoing taking medicines because their incomes couldn’t simply catch up with the rising prices of drugs," says Benjamin Liuson.

Because the medicines were reasonably priced, the company first sold the generic brands wholesale to government hospitals. But when stocks from these public institutions ran out, doctors would advise patients to go to the company’s head office in Quezon City.

The Generics Pharmacy was established in 2001. It was born out of the growing need to provide affordable medicines and drugs to the public. "We launched the retail pharmacy operations to serve the public better," says Liuson

He says that generic drugs are cheaper only because they have been manufactured without the same development costs that newly-developed brand name drugs entail. "Since generics use the same active ingredients and are shown to work the same way in the body, it has the benefits as their brand-name counterparts," he says.

It is the only pharmacy that gives the 20 percent discount mandated by law to senior citizens—even without the booklet. "As long as they have the prescription, we will ask no questions. We wouldn’t want to give the public a difficult time in gaining full advantage of the senior citizen’s discount," says Liuson.

Its one-of-a-kind service extends to conducting regular doctor-patient consultations absolutely free of charge. "We decided to hold free consultations so that patients can be thoroughly and properly diagnosed first before buying the medicine," he said. Free consultations are offered in the following areas: St. Francis Square, Ortigas Center, Taft Pasay and Ever Gotesco, Malabon. Generics Pharmacy has 38 outlets. For inquiries, visit www.thegenericspharmacy@yahoo.com