Public Shaming

A number of Filipino doctors have been in the news for alleged unethical practices, involving among others ownership of shares in pharmaceutical companies, prescribing and selling branded medicines and drugs, and the imposition of excessive doctors’ fees.

- MARY ANN LL. REYES

Sen. Raffy Tulfo himself admitted that many of these are not illegal, because there is no law that prohibits these practices, except for the Generics Act which requires doctors to write down in the prescription the generic name of the medicine first and then a brand name at their option.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also requires doctors who own shares in pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies to disclose their ownership.

Tulfo also cited the Mexico City Principles for Voluntary Codes of Business Ethics in the Biopharmaceutical Sector, a set of guidelines for ethical business practices in the pharmaceutical industry which is being implemented by the FDA.

It says that health care professionals must not be improperly influenced by pharma companies and nothing should be offered or provided by these companies in a manner that inappropriately influences a healthcare professional’s prescribing practices.

Meanwhile, the Revised Code of Ethics for the Medical Profession of the Philippine Medical Association provides that professional compensation should be reasonable and shall be guided by the patient’s capacity to pay, the standard fees in the community and other factors such as physician’s expertise, the difficulty of the case, and the patient’s co-morbid conditions.

It also states that physicians shall not participate in any marketing strategies including special prescription pads, rebates, commissions, or raffles.