NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said on Friday that small retail establishments (sari-sari stores) could obtain FDA approval to sell over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

“‘Yung mga tindahan at kung sila ay mabigyan ng authorization, pwede silang magbenta (Sari-sari stores can actually ask for FDA authorization. They can sell if they get authorizations,” Año remarked in an interview with GMA’s morning show Unang Hirit.

This arose after internet users petitioned the government to allow sari-sari stores to sell over-the-counter medications, particularly in places where drug stores and pharmacies are few.

Only FDA-licensed retail drug stores or pharmacies are allowed to offer pharmaceuticals and medicines to the general public under Section 30 of Republic Act 10918, or the Philippine Pharmacy Act.

Small variety stores, on the other hand, can only offer over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, not prescription drugs, according to the DILG chairman.

“Mahirap kasing kontrolin, generally pag sinabi natin ‘pwede na kayo magbenta ng OTC medicines,’ kawawa naman ‘yung publiko kung fake yang gamot na yan or hindi naaayon sa prescription,’ kaya dapat mag-ingat tayo dito (It would be

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has stated that “buy-bust operations” against “sari-sari” are being considered “Stores that are selling pharmaceuticals without the government’s permission.

“We can conduct buy-bust operations since the substances are illegal and uncontrolled. We also need to check if they have any permits, authority, or accreditation “In a radio interview, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo remarked.

Fajardo, on the other hand, believes that the police should have firsthand knowledge of the unlawful activity that is spreading in a particular area.

“We can’t just say ‘we bought it there,’ the cops must have bought it and seen the drugs that will serve as our foundation,” she added.

Earlier, Año urged local government units (LGUs) to pass ordinances prohibiting the selling of pharmaceuticals in sari-sari stores, citing the proliferation of bogus medicines in tiny retail outlets as a major threat to the public’s health.

The DILG has launched a crackdown on sari-sari businesses peddling pharmaceuticals and counterfeit drugs, with Año instructing the PNP to arrest violators immediately.

The FDA stated in a recent public meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte that it had received 185 reports of sari-sari establishments unlawfully selling pharmaceuticals, with 78 of them being confirmed guilty.

The FDA reported that nine of these businesses were selling phony drugs, including those for the coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19).

Given the conditions, the FDA asked the DILG to propose that all LGUs pass laws prohibiting sari-sari businesses from selling medications.

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