innovative research covering the entire
spectrum of drug discovery, development,
Module 4
Information Resources
 Pharmacy literature can be defined as
references that contain information about
drugs, pharmacy services, and other
relevant fields. What will be discussed here
is based on the 22nd edition of Remington:
The Science and Practice of Pharmacy,
regarding the primary and secondary
literature and specialized reference sources
in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical
sciences.
PRIMARY LITERATURE
 Primary source of information is the
following:
 Firsthand or direct source of information
 A record of original reports of scientific,
clinical, technological, and administrative
research projects and studies
 Some pharmacists have published original
studies which include:
 Journal in Medicinal Chemistry (Eaton, PA;
American Chemical Society)
an authoritative, comprehensive,
and indispensable provider of chemistry-
related information published by ACS
Publications.
 Journal of National Products (Washington,
DC; American Chemical Society and
American Society of Pharmacognosy)
which publishes articles that
provide substantial and scholarly
contributions to the area of natural products
research. Articles may be related to the
chemistry and/or biochemistry of naturally
occurring compounds or the biology of
living systems from which these are
obtained.
 Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics (Baltimore, MD; Williams &
Wilkins)
a leading research journal in the
field of pharmacology which has published
since 1909. It provides broad coverage of
all aspects of the interactions of chemicals
with
biological systems, including autonomic,
behavioral, cardiovascular, cellular, clinical,
developmental, gastrointestinal,
immunological, neurological, pulmonary,
and renal pharmacology as well as
analgesics, drug abuse, metabolism and
disposition, chemotherapy, and toxicology.
 Pharmaceutical Research (New York, NY;
Kluwer Academic Publishers)
an official journal of the American
Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
which publishes papers that describe
evaluation, and regulatory approval. Small
drug molecules, biotechnology products,
including genes, peptides, proteins and
vaccines, and genetically engineered cells
are the common research topics of articles
published in this journal. The current
emphasis of the journal includes the
following areas: pre-formulation, drug
delivery and targeting, formulation,
engineering and processing,
pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics,
pharmacogenomics, molecular
biopharmaceutics, drug disposition, and
computational biopharmaceutics.
Journals that specialize in a particular disease or drug
therapy
• American Journal of Health System Pharmacy
(1965)
the official publication of the American
Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) which
publishes peer-reviewed scientific papers on
contemporary drug therapy and pharmacy practice
innovations in hospitals and health systems.
• Journal of the American Pharmacists Association
(Washington DC, American Pharmacists Association)
official peer-reviewed journal of the APhA
that provides information on pharmaceutical care,
drug therapy, diseases and other health issues,
trends in pharmacy practice and therapeutics,
informed opinion, and original research. JAPhA
publishes original research, reviews, experiences,
and opinion articles that link science and
contemporary pharmacy practice to improve patient
care.
• The Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA; Chicago, Illinois, American Medical
Association)
an international peer-reviewed general
medical journal, the primary objective of which is to
promote the science and art of medicine and the
betterment of public health.
• Circulation (Dallas, Texas; American Heart
Association)-
Publishes original research manuscripts,
review articles, and other content related to
cardiovascular health and disease, including
observational studies, clinical trials, epidemiological
studies, health services and outcomes studies, and
advances in basic and translational research.
Journals on Pharmacy Administration
• Journal of Pharmaceutical Marketing and
Management
 a valuable multi-disciplinary journal devoted
to solving the problems inherent in the management
and marketing of pharmaceutical products and
services.
• Pharmacoeconomics
the benchmark journal for peer-reviewed,
authoritative, and practical articles on the application
of
pharmacoeconomics and quality-of-life assessment to
optimum drug therapy and health outcomes. It is a
useful source of applied pharmacoeconomic original
research and educational material for the healthcare
decision-maker. It is dedicated to the clear
communication of complex pharmacoeconomic issues
related to patient care and drug utilization.
• Social Science and Medicine
provides an international and
interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social
science research on health. The journal publishes
material relevant to any aspect of health, ranging from
a wide range of social science disciplines, e.g.
anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography,
policy, psychology, and sociology, and materials
relevant to the social sciences from any of the
professions concerned with physical and mental
health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy
and organization.
Journals on Pharmacy Education
• American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
official scholarly publication of the American
Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) which
documents and advances pharmaceutical education
in the United States and internationally. It also
considers materials related to pharmaceutical
education for publication.
• Journal of Pharmacy Teaching
was originally published by Informal
Healthcare between 1990-2008 and produced 14
volumes, highlighting new methods in pharmacy
teaching for the professional pharmacology
community. In May 2011m CLOCKSS* offered the
Journal of Pharmacy Teaching to the public for free.
* CLOCKSS means “Controlled LOCKSS (Lots of
Copies Keep Stuff Safe)”. CLOCKSS is a permanent
archiving solution using a data replication system.
CLOCKSS hosts, as of November 2021, 46 million
articles, 25,000 journal titles and 260,000 books,
complete with metadata.
• These journals may be available in print and in
electronic form online. Printed journals may be
accessed through printed indexes and abstracts
available in libraries, while online indexes are
accessed using the Internet. Some online journals
may require paid individual or institutional
subscriptions. There are also packaged medical
collections that provide access to collections of
textbooks, databases,
and other materials such as:
o Stat!Ref
o MDConsult, and
o UpToDate
SECONDARY LITERATURE
• These include compilations, commentaries, and
digests of primary literature. A review article
summarizes research done on a particular topic, and
it is considered a secondary source. Drug
monographs, treaties, and various books written for
professionals are classified as secondary sources.
A. Reviews (review articles) are a summary of
information from different studies taken from primary
literature
 Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences
TIPS (Amsterdam; Elsevier) is the official
peer-reviewed journal of the School of Pharmacy –
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. It publishes
original research in pharmaceutical fields, e.g.,
biotechnology, clinical pharmacy, medicinal
chemistry, nanotechnology, pharmaceutics,
pharmacognosy, pharmacology, toxicology, traditional
pharmacy, and related subjects. These are scheduled
to be published quarterly. The journal accepts original
research articles, review articles, short
communications, letters to the editors, and case
reports.
 Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
(Amsterdam; Elsevier)
a journal that provides a forum for the
critical analysis of advanced drug and gene delivery
systems and their applications in human and
veterinary medicine. The journal has a broad scope,
covering the key issues for effective drug and gene
delivery, from administration to site-specific delivery.
B. Database – these databases allow access to
original research articles. The most common
databases used for pharmaceutical, clinical, and
therapeutic topics are as follows:
1. PUBMED
maintained by the National Center for
Biotechnology Information at the US National Library
of Medicine. (http://www.pubmed.gov)
2. MEDLINE
maintained by the US National Library of
Medicine, available to the public. There are also other
vendors that offer access to this database, namely
PubMed (http://pubmed.gov) and Ovid. PubMed is
free to the public.
3. EMBASE (Evidence-Based Medicine
Databases)
produced by Elsevier in Amsterdam,
Netherlands. It includes European literature more in-
depth than MEDLINE as well as drug information and
biological sciences related to human medicine. This is
made available by vendors Dialog and Ovid and
EMBASE.com.
 4. EMB (Evidence-Based Medicine
is from Elsevier, which contains data from
Databases)
EMBASE database. It gives access to researchers to
articles that cited seminal articles.
provides access to systematic reviews.
Systematic reviews are studies conducted on
qualified RCTs (randomized controlled trials) on a
particular topic. Results of SRs can be used as
evidence in making clinical decisions. MEDLINE and
Ovid searches can be limited to RCT, while PubMed
C. Textbook – these primarily present a topic that can
can provide limits to SRs. Another database that
be used as the basis for instruction in a particular
provides systematic review searches is the Cochrane
subject area. It provides an introduction to key
Library. It is the best-known collection of SRs related
research, findings and concepts. Some examples of
to clinical practice originating from Great Britain. It is
textbooks in pharmacy include:
accessed through Ovid and Dialog.
Allen, L., & Ansel, H. (2018). Ansel’s Pharmaceutical
5. IPA (International Pharmaceutical
Dosage Forms & Drug Delivery Systems (11th ed.).
Abstracts)
Wolters Kluwer.
produced by the American Society of
Aulton, E. (2021). Aulton’s Pharmaceutics: The
Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) which includes
Design and Manufacture of Medicines (6th Ed.).
pharmacy trade magazines, state pharmacy journals,
Churchill Livingstone.
and meeting abstracts of pharmacy-related
associations not found in other databases. This is a
Bruton, L., Chabner, B., and Knollman, B. (2012).
database for articles on pharmacy administration,
Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis
drug laws and legislation, pharmacy ethics, and
of Therapeutics (14th ed.). McGraw Hill.
pharmaceutical manufacturing. Vendors such as
Ovid, Dialog, and the ASHP provide access to IPA.
Haider, S.I., & Asif, E.S. (2011). Quality Control
Training Manual: Comprehensive Training Guide for
6. Chemical Abstracts (CAplus or CA Search)
API, Taylor & Francis.
is the world’s largest scientific database,
Watson, D.G. (2017). Pharmaceutical Analysis, (4th
produced by the American Chemical Society’s
ed.). Elsevier.
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS). It is an important
database for drug development and contains
SPECIALIZED INFORMATION SOURCES
abstracts from journals, patents, technical reports,
books, conference proceedings, and dissertations. A
• Aside from the primary and secondary sources, a
useful accessory to Chemical Abstracts is the CAS
variety of references on drugs and their uses are
registry system which designates code numbers to
available in print or electronic format. Some of the
chemical substances. The code numbers serve as an
sources serve as books of standards of drugs
identifier for each substance to manage substances
adopted for use by the pharmacist.
that might have several known names. All literature
about that substance may be accessed through the
A. Pharmacopeias
registry system. Another unique feature is structure
searching.
As described in Remington Pharmaceutics,
Vendors that provide access are Ovid, Dialog and
a pharmacopeia is a list of drugs and drug products
STN, but Chemical Abstracts is very expensive to
that describes the purity, strength, method of
access and requires training. Some subscribe to
preparation, and other information. Examples are the
SciFinder or SciFinder Scholar, which provides
USP/NF, BP, EP, and International Pharmacopeia.
unlimited searching.
B. Nomenclature
7. BIOSIS
Drugs can identify by their chemical name
previews are the online version of Biological
and their generic name. Merck Index and Index
Abstracts and the BioResearch Index, which is
Nominum are commonly used among several sources
produced by BIOSIS Philadelphia, PA. It includes
for verifying drug names.
works of literature on life sciences, pre-clinical toxicity,
and carcinogenicity studies. Vendors that provide
1. Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals,
access are BIOSIS, Ovid, Dialog, and STN.
Drugs, and Biologicals
8. TOXLINE and TOXNET
reference that includes chemical, non-
proprietary and generic names, chemical structures
are databases from the US National Library
and formulas, and CAS Registry Numbers. It also
of Medicine. TOXLINE contains information in all
provides a cross-index to the individual monographs.
aspects of toxicology, including chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and environmental
2. Index Nominum: International Drug Directory
pollutants, mutagens, and teratogens. TOXNET is a
group of databases covering chemicals and drugs,
a resource for foreign drug substances,
poisoning, risk assessment and regulations, and
including their therapeutic category and manufacturer
toxicology.

9. SciVerse Scopus
C. Other Drug Compendia such as Information on
Prescription Products, Drug Information on
Compounded Preparations, Drug Information on
Nonprescription Products, Herbal Medicines and
Natural Products, Drug Interactions and Side Effects
and Adverse Reactions, Poisoning and Toxicology,
Formulation and Manufacturing, and many more.
Module 5
Pharmacy in Action
Qualities of a Filipino Pharmacist
 Pharmacists are healthcare providers
licensed to prepare, compound, and
dispense medicines upon written order from
a licensed practitioner such as a physician,
dentist, and veterinarian. Due to this role,
pharmacists work closely with other
healthcare providers to promote the
effective, safe, and rational use of
medicines.
 The roles of a pharmacist have evolved
with the practice of pharmacy from
preparing, compounding, and dispensing to
more clinical and patient-oriented practices.
Currently, the practice of pharmacy involves
drug discovery, manufacturing, quality
control, regulatory, dispensing, patient
counseling, hospital pharmacy
administration, and community services.
With a broader area of practice, a
pharmacist needs to acquire knowledge
and develop skills and attitudes that will
allow them to function effectively in the
different fields of practice.
 In March 2014, the WHO presented the
concept of a “Seven-Star Pharmacist,”
which consists of the following roles:
caregiver, decision-maker, communicator,
manager, lifelong learner, teacher, and
leader. Aaseer and Subraman published in
the Journal of Young Pharmacists on its
October-December 2015 issue the two
additional roles of a pharmacist, namely, a
researcher and an entrepreneur
(pharmapreneur). The two additional roles
gave rise now to what is
 known as the “Nine-Star Pharmacist.”
 In the Philippines, the PPhA, Inc. has
introduced its concept of a Filipino
pharmacist, who has the roles of a Ten-Star
Pharmacist: caregiver, decision- maker,
communicator, manager, lifelong learner,
teacher, leader, researcher, entrepreneur,
and agent of positive change.
COMMUNITY PHARMACY
Types of Community Practice
 The usual type of community pharmacy is
an independent pharmacy. Aside from this,
several other types of community pharmacy
have emerged, such as chain drugstores,
supermarket pharmacies, and mass
merchandise pharmacies.
 Independent Pharmacies – many are
family-owned drugstores. These provide Rx
medication, nutrition products, and other
health-related products. They vary in size
and merchandise
 Chain Drugstores – if there are two or more
branches that operate using the same
pharmacy name. Community pharmacies
working in chain drugstores are employed
in large corporations with a more structured
and rigid framework and operations system.
Chain drugstores are increasing in number
in the Philippines. The first chain drugstore
to operate in the country was the Mercury
Drug which started in 1965.
Other Operating Chain Drugstores
Drugstore name No. of Branches
The Generics Pharmacy 1900
Mercury Drug Corporation More than 1000
Generika Drugstore 760
Watsons Personal Care Stores, Phils. 623
Southstar Drug 500
Rose Pharmacy 252
St. Joseph Drugstore (Luzon only) 85
It is estimated that more than one-half of the retail
business is comprised of chain drugstores.
 Supermarket Pharmacies – pharmacies
within supermarkets started 20 years ago in
the USA. The advantage of this type of
community pharmacy is convenience. The
patients can do their grocery shopping
while waiting for their prescription to be
dispensed. Community pharmacists
working in this setting have more
opportunities to develop their relationships
with patients since most of the customers
frequent these places for their personal and
family needs. The pharmacists can easily
engage the patient in pharmaceutical care
and counseling.
Activities of a Community Pharmacist
 These can be summarized as follows:
A. Traditional Services
1. Professional functions:
a) Processing and dispensing
b) Compounding a prescription
c) Recommending and dispensing OTC
drugs
d) Storage and handling of drugs
e) Providing professional advise to
patients, physicians, nurses, etc.
f) Maintaining the inventory
g) Maintaining records and logbooks
(prescriptions, dangerous drugs,
poisons)
 2. Administrative, supervisory, and • History. The Philippine drug industry started
managerial functions in 1900 with the establishment of Hizon
3. Entrepreneurial functions related to Laboratories. This was followed by Manuel
investment of capital and ownership of Zamora Laboratories, which manufactured
pharmacies the well-known Tiki-tiki, a vitamin
preparation, in 1913 the Philippine-
B. Value-Added Services American Drug Co. (Botica Boie), in 1918,
1. Providing immunization, blood pressure Arambulo Products, Inc., Santos Ocampo,
determination, cholesterol test, and Inc., Farmacia de San Fernando, and Lexal
osteoporosis scan Laboratories.
2. Providing disease state management and • After WWII, most drug companies were
medication therapy management (MTM). established, including the following:
MTM is a systematic review of chronic
disease to determine the treatment options
in order to produce a desirable outcome.
Community Pharmacy in the Philippines

 Drugstore. Other Drug Companies after WWII

Name of Drug Company Year

Most registered Filipino pharmacists are in
established
the community pharmacy practice. Some pharmacists
own their drugstores. In determining the capital outlay
United Laboratories 1946
needed to establish a drugstore, the following aspects
(formerly United Drug Store)
should be considered: the building, equipment,
Sharpe and Dohme
furniture, facilities, inventory (OTC and Rx drugs),
Zuellig Pharma
laboratory and hospital supplies, cosmetics, toiletries,
and related products.
Pascual Laboratories 1949
 Drugstores in rural areas are capitalized at
a much lower amount. They usually carry
Muller & Phipps Mfg. Corp. 1950
OTC products due to limited capital.
Associated Pharmaceuticals
 Drug companies offer certain privileges like
consignment for 15-30 days, discounts for
A-T Suaco and Co. 1951
purchases in bulk, and deals consisting of
E.R. Squibb and Co.
gifts for a certain volume of purchase.
 Not all the personnel in the drugstore are
Abbott Laboratories 1952
pharmacists. Pharmacy aides or trained
helpers assist in the pharmacy.
Modern Research Laboratories 1953
YSS Laboratories
INDUSTRIAL PHARMACY
Parke-Davis and Company 1954
Role of Pharmacy
Pfizer Philippines, Inc.
• Pharmacists in the industry work
Warner Chilcott, Inc. 1955
predominantly in technical areas such as
research, development, production, and
Winthrop Stearns, Inc. 1957
quality control as well as non-technical
areas such as marketing and
Top 20 Leading Pharmaceutical Firms in the
administration. In research, the pharmacist
Philippine
is capable of contributing to product
Pharmaceutical Industry Facebook (8th ed. Aug 2012)
development, such as determining the
appropriate preparation of drugs in a
Rank Company Name
suitable dosage form. In production, the
pharmacist supervises manufacturing,
1 United Laboratories, Inc.
production, planning, and inventory. Current
2 Glaxo Smith Kline, Phils., Inc.
Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) must
2 Pfizer, Inc.
be observed at all times. Control personnel
3 Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
does qualitative and quantitative checks on
4 Wyeth Phils., Inc.
raw materials, intermediate an finished
4 Astellas
products, and packaging components, such
5 Cathay Drug Company
as glass and plastic containers and printed
6 Boehringer Ingelheim (Phil.), Inc.
packaging materials. A pharmacist is
7 Novartis Healthcarehils.
preferred in administrative control activities
8 AstraZenica Pharmaceuticals
such as being a liaison with government
(Phils.), Inc.
regulatory agencies, reviewing control
9 Sanofi-Aventis (Phils.), Inc.
procedures, and auditing compliance to
10 Johnson & Johnson Medical
GMP. In marketing, pharmacist can also be
11 Pascual Laboratories
employed, with some becoming managers.
12 Roche Philippines, Inc.
13 Bristol-Myers Squibb Phil., Inc.
The Philippine Drug Industry
14 Bayer Philippines, Inc.
15 Natrapharm, Inc.
16 Schering-Plough Corporation
17 Merck Sharp & Dohme (1A)
Corp. Drugstore 9,884
18 Servier Philippines, Inc. Drug Distributor 1,755
19 Merck, Inc. Drug Manufacturer 187
20 GX International, Inc. Drug Trader 169
Retail Outlet for Non-prescription Drugs 276
Registered Pharmaceutical Outlets
TOTAL 12,271
• The FDA issues the appropriate license to
operate (LTO) drug establishments. It was TOP 10 Rx/Ethical Brands in the Philippines (as of
created under RA 3720 (Food, Drug, and Sept 2007)
Cosmetic Act) on June 22, 1961.
Rank Prescription Brand Indication
• Facts to remember:
 In 1982, EO 851 abolished the FDA and 1 NORVASC (Pfizer) Hypertension
created the Bureau of Food and Drugs 2 VENTOLIN (Glaxo-SK) Asthma
(BFAD). 3 PLAVIX (Sanofi-Aventis) Thrombosis
 In 1987, RA3720 was amended by EO 175 4 AUGMENTIN (Glaxo – SK) Infection
to its new title, “Foods, Drugs and Devices, 5 NEOBLOC (GX International) Hypertension
and Cosmetics Act”. 6 LIPITOR (Pfizer) Hypercholesterolemia
 August 18, 2009, RA 9711 (FDA Act of 7 TAZOCIN (Wyeth) Infection
2009) was signed, renaming BFAD as the 8 ZEGEN (United American – UL) Infection
“FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION.” 9 PLENDIL ER (AstraZenica) Hypertension
10 SERETIDE (Glaxo-SK) Asthma
RA 9711
TOP 10 OTC Brands in the Philippines
• One of the salient provisions of RA 9711 is
the creation of separate centers per major Rank OTC Brand Indication
product category to regulate the
manufacture, importation, exportation, 1 CEELIN (Pediatrics) Vitamin Supplement
distribution, sale, offer for sale, transfer, 2 SOLMUX (Westmont) Cough
promotion, advertisement, sponsorship of, 3 NEOZEP (Myra) Cold Relief
and/or, where appropriate, the use and 4 BIOGESIC (Biomedis) Pain Relief
testing of each product category. The 5 ENERVON C (United American) Vitamin
centers created under RA 9711 include the Supplement
following: 6 ALAXAN (Therapharma) Pain
• Center for Drug Regulation and Research Relief
• Center for Food Regulation and Research 7 MYRA E (Myra) Vitamin
• Center for Cosmetics Regulation and Research Supplement
• Center for Device Regulation, Radiation Health, and 8 XENECAL ( Roche) Weight
Research Management
9 CENTRUM (Wyeth) Vitamin
• A License to Operate must be applied to Supplement
the appropriate center. After the release of 10 CHERIFER (GX International) Vitamin Supplement
the LTO, the company can apply for
registration of their product. TOP 10 Therapeutic Classes in the Phil. Based on
• A product is deemed registered when Value (as of Dec. 2011)
approved by the FDA evaluators, and a
Certification of Product Registration (CPR) Rank Therapeutic Class
is released. The letters found before the Indication
registered numbers issued in the CPR
denotes: 1 CALCIUM ANTAGONISTS PLAIN Hypertension
 DR/DRP – for drugs 2 NON-NARCOTIC ANALGESICS Pain Relief
 FR – for foods 3 INFANT FORMULA Nutrition
 HSR – for household hazardous Supplement
substances 4 CEPHALOSPORINS & COMBS Infection
 DVR – for medical devices 5 BROAD SPECTRUM PENICILLIN Infection
6 ANTIRHEUMATIC NON-STEROID Pain
• The number of drug establishments in the Relief
country is increasing because of the needs 7 ORAL ANTICIABETICS
in healthcare. FDA inspectors ensure that Diabetes
employed pharmacists are within the drug 8 MULTIVITAMINS Vitamin
establishments during designated working Supplement
hours. They do routine laboratory + MINERALS
inspections to ensure that cGMP is followed 9 EXPECTORANTS
and monitor the drug outlets for Cough
unregistered products and possible 10 CHOLEST& Hypercholesterolemia
counterfeit drugs. TRIGLY.REGULATOR

Number of Drug Establishments in the Philippines

Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB)
Establishment Number
  This is the policy-making and strategy-
formulating body in the planning and
formulation of policies and programs on
dangerous drug prevention and control. It
develops and adopts a comprehensive,
integrated, unified, and balanced national
drug abuse prevention, and control
strategy. It is under the Office of the
President.
 To carry out the provisions of RA 9165,
otherwise known as the Comprehensive
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
(PDEA) was created and serves as the
implementing arm of the DDB. It is
responsible for the efficient and effective
law enforcement of all the provisions on any
dangerous drugs and/or controlled
precursor and essential chemicals as
provided in the Act.
 The PDEA issues license and prescription
forms for the exempt dangerous drug
preparations and dangerous drugs. The
license is classified either as an S-License
or P-License which refers to dangerous
drugs and their preparations and authorized
activities for holders. P-License refers to
controlled precursors and essential
chemicals and mixtures and authorized
activities for holders. The license is
renewable every year for a certain fee.
License Grantees
 PDEA grants licenses to individuals and
drug establishments based on their needs
and application. The different licenses
relating to dangerous drugs include the
following:
• S-1 is for retail distributor/dispenser
• S-2 is for prescriber
• S-3 is for retail distributor/dispenser
• S-4 is for wholesale dealer/distributor
• S-5-1 is for importer
• S-5-C is for manufacturer
• S-5-E is for exporter
• S-5-D is for bulk depot/storage
• S-6 is for research/analysis/instructional program
Present Situation
 The pharmaceutical industry has bright
prospects since medicine is a basic need.
The government projects like nutrition
programs, human milk banks, rural health
programs, and family planning health
centers bring medicines more readily
available to those who cannot afford the
high cost of drugs.
 However, most raw materials are currently
imported. The limited market does not
warrant large capital investment in
producing raw materials.
Job Opportunities
 Competitions are inevitable, however, by
differentiating oneself, opportunities for
employment increase. Gaining some skills
in information transfer or knowledge in
product/equipment design can increase
one’s chance of employment as well as
taking some graduate courses.
 There are numerous positions that
pharmacists can be employed, including the
following:
• Company pharmacist
• Regulatory affairs officer who transacts with FDA
evaluators regarding their product registrations
• Member of the clinical trial/bioavailability study team
• Production planning inventory control manager
• Quality assurance manager
• Research and development head
• Operation manager
• Analyst
• Line inspector
HOSPITAL PHARMACY
 Defined as the “department or service in a
hospital which is under the direction of a
professionally competent, legally qualified
pharmacist, and from which
• all medications are supplied to the nursing units and
other services
• where special prescriptions are filled for patients in
the hospital
• where prescriptions are filled for ambulatory patients
and out-patients
• where pharmaceuticals are manufactured in bulk
• where narcotics and other prescribed drugs are
dispensed
• where injectable preparations should be prepared
and sterilized, and
• where professional supplies are often stocked and
dispensed.”
Duties of a Hospital Pharmacist
 A hospital pharmacist is responsible for the
professional care of the patient regarding
their drug use as well as the management
of the hospital pharmacy. For these
functions, the hospital pharmacist must be
knowledgeable on:
1. Drug and their actions
2. Pharmacy manufacturing program
3. Control procedure regarding
a) Quality control
b) Drug distribution throughout the hospital
4.Research activities, both medical and
pharmaceutical
5. Teaching techniques, including in-service training
programs
6. Pharmacy administration in a hospital
Hospital Pharmacy Practices in the Philippines
Activities of a Hospital Pharmacist
1. Prepare the annual budget for drugs
2. Initiate drug orders
3. Monitor price fluctuations
4. Maintain a system of records
5. Exercise overall supervision of the
Pharmacy Department
6. Prepare the schedule of staff duties
 7. Coordinate with the medical and the
nursing staff
8. Represent the Pharmacy Department in the
hospital staff meeting
9. Prepare an annual report to the
administration
10. Serve in vital committees such as:
a) Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee
(PTC)
b) Drug Information Service
c) Policy Committee of the Administration
Staff
Duties of the Pharmaceutical Staff
1. Dispensing of drugs, chemicals, and
pharmaceutical preparations, e.g.,
ointments, eyewash, IV admixtures, and
total parenteral nutrition (TPN)
2. Filling and labeling of all drug containers
issued to medical wards where patients
receive the medications
3. Maintaining an approved stock of antidotes
and other emergency drugs
4. Dispensing of narcotics and alcohol,
maintaining a perpetual inventory of these
products
5. Furnishing information regarding
medications to other healthcare providers
6. Charging patients for drugs and
pharmaceutical supplies
7. Maintaining adequate control over
requisitioning and dispensing of all drugs
and pharmaceutical supplies
8. Implementing the decision of the PTC
9. Filing of literature
10. Maintaining the Drug Information Service
The Philippine Society of Hospital Pharmacists
This society was organized in 1962 to promote the
interest of hospital pharmacists. Monthly seminars
among the members keep them abreast with the
latest developments in their field of specialization.
CLINICAL PHARMACY
 This allows pharmacists to provide patient
care by optimizing medication therapy and
promoting health, wellness, and disease
prevention. The practice of clinical
pharmacy embraces the philosophy of
pharmaceutical care and blends a caring
orientation with specialized therapeutic
knowledge, experience, and judgment to
ensure optimal patient outcomes. As a
discipline, clinical pharmacy must also
contribute to the generation of new
knowledge that advances health and quality
of life (QOL).
 Activities of a Clinical Pharmacist are
governed and specified by the European
Society of Clinical Pharmacy.
Activities of a Clinical Pharmacist
ACTIVITIES and DESCRIPTION
1. Consulting
Evaluating therapies, advising health care
practitioners on the correctness of drug therapy, and
delivering pharmaceutical care
2. Selection of drugs
Defining drug formularies or limiting lists of
drugs
3. Drug information
Pursuing information and critically
evaluating scientific literature
4. Formulation and preparation
Formulation and preparation of medicinal
products and devices according to acceptable
standards to meet specific patients’ needs
5. Drug use studies and research
Gathering data on drug therapies, their
costs, and patient feedback through structured and
scientific methods
6. Pharmacokinetics/therapeutic drug
monitoring
Studying the kinetics of drugs and
optimizing the dosage
7. Clinical trials
Planning, evaluating, and participating in
clinical trials
8. Pharmaco-economy
Using the results of clinical trials and
outcome studies to determine cost-effectiveness
evaluations
9. Dispensation and administration
Studying and developing systems for the
dispensing and administering of medicinal products
and devices that can guarantee a higher security in
administration, a decrease in expenditure and a
decrease in medication errors.
10. Teaching and training
Pre- and post-graduate teaching and
activities to provide training and education programs
Clinical Pharmacy Practice in the Philippines
 Clinical pharmacists are patient-oriented.
They make rounds to the bedside of
patients with the physician and other
members of the healthcare team. They take
charge of taking patient drug histories,
maintaining patient drug profiles, keeping
close surveillance for adverse drug
reactions (ADRs), counseling patients on
drug use, and discussing the rationale of
 drug therapy. The introduction of clinical
pharmacy at the Makati Medical Center was Provide feedback
done in cooperation with the Philippine
Women’s University. The first hospitals to The key to successful delivery of
allow the practice of clinical pharmacy are pharmaceutical care is a pharmacist claiming direct
St. Luke’s Medical Center, Phil. General responsibility to the patient outcomes. The pharmacist
Hospital, and Mediatrix Hospital. must maintain patient confidentiality throughout the
provision of p’care. The patient needs to be involved
PHARMACEUTICAL CARE in their drug therapy and must work with their HCP
with full confidence and commitment. These
 The current approach to professional responsibilities are facilitated by the pharmacists’
practice in pharmacy is pharmaceutical knowledge of drugs and drug therapy,
care. It allows patients to make the best use resourcefulness in finding drug information, good
of their medications through the active communication skills, and care for patients.
participation of pharmacists.
 In 1993, the American Society of Health-
System Pharmacists (ASHP) drafted the PHARMACEUTICAL CARE vs CLINICAL
definition for pharmaceutical care: PHARMACY

“According to the AS HP, pharmaceutical Pharmaceutical Care Clinical

care is defined as the functions performed by a Pharmacy
pharmacist in ensuring the optimal use of medications
to achieve specific outcomes that improve a patient’s Model Primary care Specialty,
quality of life; further, the pharmacists accept consultant
responsibility for outcomes that ensure from their Focus Patient Physician
actions which occur in collaboration with patients and Direction Outcome Process
other healthcare providers.” Outcome Variety Clinical
Basis Caring Competency
Goal of Pharmaceutical Care In-Charge Pharmacist Physician
Role Quality-of-life Quality-of-care
 Pharmaceutical care is the responsible Practice Place All settings Acute care
provision of drug therapy for the purpose of settings
achieving definite outcomes that improve a Provider All pharmacists Clinical
patient’s quality of life. These outcomes pharmacists
are: cure of a disease, elimination or
reduction of a patient ‘s symptomatology,
arresting or slowing of a disease process, Pharmacists in Government Service
and preventing a disease or
symptomatology. Career Opportunities
 It optimizes the patient’s health-related
quality of life and achieve positive clinical  Pharmacists find employment in the
outcomes within realistic economic government either as:
expenditures. • Commissioned officer in the Army, Navy, Air Force,
 To achieve this goal, the following or
responsibilities must be carried out by both • Civil service employees in different offices
pharmacist and patient:

Reponsibilities of Pharmacists and Patient in

Pharmaceutical Care
Philippine Setting
Pharmacist and Patient The different offices which employ pharmacists are
the following:
 Collect, organize, record, and evaluate
medical information 1. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
a. Licensing of pharmaceutical
Provide specific medical information establishments
b. Drug inspection
 Develop a drug therapy plan c. Registration of new drugs
2. Bureau of Research ang Laboratories, DOH
Participate in the development of a drug therapy plan
a. Researches on medical and
public health aspects of prevalent
 Ensure that the patient has all supplies,
tropical diseases
information, and knowledge necessary to
b. Production of biological products
carry out the drug therapy plan
c.
3. National Academy of Science and Technology
Compliance
a. Medical Research Center
 Review, monitor, and modify the
i. Researches on allergy and viral diseases
therapeutic plan as necessary and
ii. Researches on Philippine medicinal plants
appropriately together with the patient and
healthcare team.
b. Microbiological Research Center

i. Utilization of microbes for the
production of industrial products
ii. Search for potential sources of
antibiotics
4. Commission of Audit, as inspectors of
pharmaceutical and medical equipment
5. Bureau of Plant Industry
a. As analysts
b. As microbiologists
6. Bureau of Customs, as appraisers
7. National Bureau of Investigation and the
Dangerous Drugs Board, to help in the prevention and
treatment of drug dependence and in the
rehabilitation of drug dependents
8. Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as
board examiners With the government’s thrust in
improving the QOL, pharmacists are very well
prepared to serve as consultants in public health in
the following fields:
1. Environmental sanitation
2. Mental health
3. Occupational health (industrial)
4. Sex hygiene
5. Maternal and child health
6. Family planning
7. Environmental pollution (air,
water, noise, soil)
8. Poisons
9. Self-medication
10. Immunization
Module 6 1. To examine
Control of the Practice Pharmacy
Pharmacy
LEGAL CONTROL
 This means, “the authority, under the law,
to determine the accessibility, use, and
disposition of records” [and items]
 It also means, the “power, either directly or
indirectly, to exercise the authority of the
owner. . . .or majority shareholder. . . . the
sole or managing general partner of a
limited
 partnership, or the sole manager of a
limited liability company, [to execute
decisions for the company]
 It may also mean the “power, indefeasible
unless for cause, to direct or to cause the
direction of the management and policies
[of the company] “ and make material
decisions.
In the practice of one’s profession, the pharmacist is
subject to legal and ethical controls. The major
provisions under the Pharmacy Act (RA 10918)
approved on July 21, 2016 and imposed by the
government which guides the pharmacy
practitioner with the responsibilities expected of a
pharmacist to protect the public. It is an act regulating
and modernizing the practice of pharmacy in the
Philippines, repealing RA 5921, otherwise known as
the Philippine Pharmacy Law.
The Act provides for and shall govern the (Article 1,
Sec. 3):
1. Standardization and regulation of
pharmacy education
2. Administration of licensure
examination, registration, and
licensing of pharmacists
3. Supervision, control, and
regulation of the practice of
pharmacy in the Philippines
4. Development and enhancement
of professional competence of
pharmacists through continuing
professional development,
research, and other related
activities; and
5. Integration of the pharmacy
profession
The Board of Pharmacy
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC),
created by Presidential Decree No. 223 in June 1973,
exercises general supervision over the members of
the various Boards.
For the pharmacy profession, we have the
Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy which is
composed of a Chairman and two members
appointed by the President of the Philippines (Art. 3,
Sec. 7). The functions of the Board according to Art.
3, Sec. 8 are:
applicants for the practice of
of
2. To issue certificates of registration to
pharmacists
3. To reprimand any pharmacist or suspend or
revoke certificates of registration
4. To promulgate rules and regulations as
necessary
5. To regulate and monitor the practice of
Pharmacy in the Philippines
Practice of Pharmacy (Art. 1, Sec. 4)
 A person shall be deemed to be practicing
Pharmacy with or without a fee, salary, percentage, or
other rewards, paid or given directly or indirectly shall:
1. Prepare, compound or manufacture, preserve,
store, distribute, procure, sell or dispense, or both,
any pharmaceutical product or its raw materials;
2. Render services, such as clinical pharmacy
services, drug information services, regulatory
services, pharmaceutical marketing, medication
management, or whenever the expertise and
technical knowledge of the pharmacist is required;
3. Engage in teaching scientific, technical, or
professional pharmacy courses in a school or college
of pharmacy;
4. Dispense pharmaceutical products in situations
where supervision of dispensing of dispensing of
pharmaceutical products is required;
5. Chemical, biological, or microbiological analyses
and an assay of pharmaceutical products,
food/dietary
supplements, health supplements, and cosmetics;
6. Physical-chemical analyses for medical devices
used in aid of administration of pharmaceutical
products;
7. Administration of adult vaccines as approved by the
FDA, provided they shall undergo the training on the
safe administration of adult vaccines and
management of adverse events following
immunization;
8. Conduct or undertake scientific research in all
aspects involving pharmaceutical products and health
care, or
9. Provide other services where pharmaceutical
knowledge is required.
Requirement for the Opening and Operation of
Pharmaceutical Outlet or Establishment (Art. 4, Sec.
38)
The minimum requirements necessary for
the opening of a retail pharmaceutical pharmacy
outlet
or establishment shall be in accordance with the rules
and regulations prescribed by the FDA. No application
for the opening of a retail drugstore shall be approved
unless it is signed by a Filipino registered pharmacist,
either as owner or a supervising pharmacist.
Administration of Adult Vaccines (Art. 4, Sec. 40)
All licensed and trained pharmacists who
shall administer adult vaccines shall ensure that the
vaccine to be administered shall have a doctor’s Rx
which is not more than seven (7) days old and submit
a monthly vaccination report and Adverse Event
Following Immunization (AEFI) report to the DOH
regional offices using the prescribed form.
Definition of Terms (RA 10918, Art. 1, Sec. 5)
 Adulterated / Deteriorated Pharmaceuticals,
Proprietary Medicines, or Pharmaceutical
Specialties – any drug, preparation or
mixtures of drugs mixed under a trade
name and intended for the cure, mitigation,
or prevention pf disease in men or animals
 Biopharmaceuticals – pharmaceutical
products that are used for therapeutic or for
in vivo diagnostic purposes, such as
vaccines, sera, and drugs derived from life
forms using biotechnology
 Brand name – the proprietary name given
by the manufacturer to distinguish its
product from those of Competitors
 Cosmetics – substance or preparation
intended to be placed in contact with the
various external parts of the human body or
with the teeth and the mucous membranes
of the oral cavity
 Counterfeit pharmaceutical products –
products that do not contain the amounts
claimed, with wrong ingredients, without
active ingredients, or with insufficient
quantity of active ingredients, which result
in the reduction of the product’s safety,
efficacy, quality, strength, or purity.
 Dispensing – the sum of processes
performed by a pharmacist from reading,
validating, and interpreting prescriptions,
preparing; packaging; labeling; record
keeping; dose calculations; and counseling
or giving information, in relation to the sale
or transfer of pharmaceutical products, with
or without a Rx or medication order.
 Food/Dietary Supplements – processed
food products intended to supplement the
diet that bears or contains one or more of
the dietary ingredients: vitamins, minerals,
herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and
dietary substances to increase the total
body intake in amounts conforming to the
latest Philippine-recommended energy and
nutrient intakes or internationally agreed
minimum daily requirements.
 Generic name – the scientifically and
internationally recognized name of the
active ingredients
 Health supplement – any product that is
used to maintain, enhance, and improve the
healthy function of the human body and
contains herbal fatty acids, enzymes,
probiotics, and other bioactive substances.
 Household remedies – any preparation
containing pharmaceutical substances of
common or ordinary use to relievecommon
physical ailments that may be dispensed
without a medical prescription in original
packages, bottles, or containers.
 Institutional Pharmacies – pharmacies of
institutions, organizations and /or
corporation that provide a range of
pharmaceutical services given exclusively
to the employee and /or their qualified
dependents.
 Medical device – any instrument,
apparatus, implement, machine, appliance,
implant, in vitro reagent, calibrator,
software, material or other similar or related
articles intended by the manufacturer to be
 used alone or in combination for human
beings
 Medicines – drugs in their appropriate
dosage forms, with assured quality, safety,
and efficacy for humans and animals.
Generics Act of 1988
RA 6675, also known as the Generics Act of 1988,
was approved on Sept. 13, 1988. This is an act to
promote, require, and ensure the production of an
adequate supply, distribution, use, and acceptance of
drugs and medicines identified by their generic
names.
Statement of Policy
 To promote, encourage, and require the
use of generic terminology in the
importation, manufacture, distribution,
marketing, advertising and promotion,
prescription and dispensing of drugs;
 To ensure the adequate supply of drugs
with generic names at the lowest possible
cost, and endeavor to make them available
for free to indigent patients;
 To encourage the extensive use of drugs
with generic names through a rational
system of procurement and distribution;
 To emphasize the scientific basis for the
use of the drugs, in order that the health
professional may become more aware and
cognizant of their therapeutic effectiveness;
and
 To promote drug safety by minimizing
duplication in medications and /or use of
drugs with potentially adverse drug
interactions
Definition of Terms
 Active Ingredient – the chemical component
responsible for the claimed therapeutic
effect of the pharmaceutical product
 Chemical Name – the description of the
chemical structure of the drug or medicine
and serves as the complete identification of
a compound
 Complementary List – a list of alternative
drugs used when there is no response to
the core essential drug or when there is a
hypersensitivity reaction to the core
essential drug or when, for one reason or
another, the core essential drug cannot be
given
 Core List – a list of drugs that meets the
healthcare needs of the majority of the
population
 Drug Establishment – any organization or
company involved in the manufacture,
importation, repacking and /or distribution of
drugs or medicines
 Drug Outlets – drugstores, pharmacies, and
other business establishments selling drugs
or medicines
 Drug Product – the finished product form
that contains the active ingredients,
generally but not necessarily associated
with inactive ingredients
 Generic Drugs – drugs not covered by
patent protection and which are labeled
solely by their international non- proprietary
or generic name.
Who Shall Use Generic Terminology?
1. All government health agencies and their
personnel, as well as other government agencies,
shall use generic terminology or generic names in all
transactions related to purchasing, prescribing, or
administering drugs and medicines
2. All medical, dental, and veterinary practitioners
shall write Rx using the generic name. The brand
name may be included if so desired
3. Any organization or company involved in the
manufacture, importation, repacking, marketing,
and/or distribution of drugs and medicines shall
indicate prominently the generic name of the product.
In the case of the brand name products, the generic
name shall appear prominently and immediately
above
the brand name in all product labels as well as in
advertising and other promotional materials.
4. Drug outlets, including drugstores, hospital and
nonhospital pharmacies, and non-traditional outlet
such as supermarkets and stores, shall inform any
buyer about any and all other drug products having
the same generic name, together with their
corresponding prices so that the buyer may
adequately exercise
his option.
ETHICAL CONTROL
 Ethics is a philosophical science dealing
with the morality of human acts. It deals
with right conduct directed towards the
formation of the individual. Ethics answers
the questions pertaining to the last end of
man and the meaning of his life.
 Special Ethics deals with the application of
the general principles of morality to the
particular actions of man as an individual
and as a member of society. One of the
fields of special Ethics is Professional
Ethics.
 Professionals provide a higher quality of
service directed towards the progress and
welfare of the members of the community.
But specialized knowledge may be utilized
for individual profits against the common
good and social justice. The less the public
know about the quality and techniques of a
human activity, the greater is the
opportunity for transgressing the standards
of equity and charity by those who have the
know-how.
  To prevent this transgression, a code of
Professional Ethics should be developed
and followed for the self-government of its
members.
Code of Ethics of Pharmacy
The ethics of Pharmacy is based on the
primary consideration: SERVICE. This profession is
dedicated to the preservation, promotion and
protection of the nation’s health. Life and health,
being the most precious material assets of man,
service is of paramount importance. Motives, other
than service, are compatible. Economic gain is
important, legal compliance is compulsory, and social
prestige is desirable. But when a conflict occurs
between the best interest of the patient and the selfish
interest of others, the patients’ interest must take first
priority.
Material gain is necessary but could remain
a secondary motive. Money per se is not evil, but the
way it is earned or used can be evil. Following all the
laws regarding pharmacy practice is the beginning
and not the end of ethical conduct. We cannot
legislate morality. Social prestige naturally follows
when one’s practice is directed towards service.
Service and not material gain is the true measure of
success.
The Code of Ethics of the Pharmacy Profession in
different parts of the world embraces principles of
professional conduct to serve as guidelines for the
pharmacist in relationship with:
1. The public
2. Other members of the health profession
3. Fellow pharmacist
Relationship with the Public
Drugs of Good Quality.
The pharmacist has the training and
experience to evaluate drugs of good quality. They
should not be misguided by advertisements and
promotional literature. The reputation and integrity of
the manufacturer should be considered as a
safeguard against drugs of substandard quality.
References like the USP and NF should be consulted
in case of doubts.
If a prescriber orders a drug of questionable quality,
the pharmacist must inform the doctor about products
of doubtful therapeutic value, of course, in a tactful
manner.
Conformity to Laws.
The pharmacist is usually asked by friends,
patients, colleagues, and members of other health
professions with illegal requests, e.g., selling legend
drugs without a prescription, supplying narcotic drugs
on oral authorization, diagnosing ailments, and filling
Rx without permission. Pressures and the desire for
personal gain may force the pharmacist to violate
laws.
Legal violations, no matter how small, encourage
repeated violations which endangers the reputation of
the profession as well as the health of the patients.
Even those who have pressured the pharmacist into
legal violations eventually lose their respect and trust
in the offending pharmacist. To overcome these
problems, the pharmacist should explain the pertinent
legal requirements, the purpose of those
requirements, and the proper procedure to follow in
order to avoid transgressions.
Changing times may require a change of laws or
revision of old laws. The pharmacist should be
sensitive and alert in instituting the needed change.
Confidential information.
Due to professional responsibilities and
daily contact with patrons, the pharmacist receives a
lot of confidential information. This confidence is
professionally and economically important, hence
worth cultivating. It enables the pharmacist to render
better health services and increases the demand for
his/her services.
This information should be kept secret, similar to that
in possession of the clergy, physicians, and lawyers.
Only when it redounds to the patient’s welfare may
such secrecy be disclosed. Not even the family or
friends of the pharmacist should be privy to this
privileged information.
Physical Facilities.
Before a drugstore is given a license to
operate, it has to meet the minimum requirements of
professional types of equipment. However, this is not
enough to ensure complete pharmaceutical services.
Approximate environmental conditions to protect
drugs and chemicals from deterioration should be
provided, i.e., protection from the extremes of
temperature, humidity, light, and dust.
Complete stock of drugs and pharmaceutical adjuncts
should always be available in every pharmacy or at
least in the local pharmaceutical community by
arrangement. Specializing in drugs and services that
are very saleable and discouraging less profitable
drugs and services reflect a business-oriented
pharmacist who does not speak well of the
profession.
While the external appearance of the physical
facilities reflects the nature and quality of professional
services, the professional appearance of the
pharmacist – manner of dress, personal hygiene,
professional deportment, displays, and general décor
of the pharmacy, also play a role.
The message communicated from the pharmacists to
the public through physical facilities should describe
complete dedication to advancing public health
through professional practice.
Civic Responsibilities.
By virtue of education and professional
practice, the pharmacist is in a position of influence
and authority to be a leader in the responsibilities of
citizenship. They can set the example of a concerned
community member by being an informed and
enlightened voter, an eager supporter of constructive
efforts for public welfare, a firm upholder of duly
constituted authority and a participant in community
programs, especially on public health. They should number of drugs, the increasing complexity and
not isolate themselves behind the Rx counter nor limit potency of their actions, and the increasing incidence
their activities in their town. The voice of pharmacy of drug interactions demand that the pharmacist keep
must be heard in all places to serve the destiny of the herself
profession better. abreast with the latest discoveries through a
continuing post-graduate education program. The role
Remuneration. of a drug consultant is challenging and rewarding. It
represents the high caliber of professional service to
the other health professions.
The service of a pharmacist cannot be
measured in terms of pesos. The value of life itself
Diagnosing and Prescribing.
represents the actual worth of the service they
provide. The fees should be commensurate with the
The pharmacist is not qualified to diagnose
services rendered and professional training.
and treat disease. This is the role of qualified and
Advertising by the pharmacist which stresses their
licensed medical practitioners. The pharmacist should
professional fees or implies a professional superiority
refer patients to appropriate specialists. However, in
is unethical. Remuneration is not only limited to
the case of OTC drugs, the pharmacist should advise
monetary income but greater rewards in terms of
the public on selecting products that may be legally,
respect, appreciation, prestige, personal satisfaction,
safely, and efficaciously used without direct medical
achievement and happiness. These rewards are
supervision. The patient must be made to understand
ultimately the most valuable possessions in life.
the proper uses, handling, warnings, and
Monetary rewards end in the pay envelope, and
contraindications. He /she should be discouraged
public esteem endures.
from using products of questionable value, poor
quality, or
Pharmacist-Patient-Prescriber Relationship.
unsubstantiated therapeutic claims.
A close professional relationship between
Persons who engage in self-medication (auto-
the pharmacist, patient, and prescriber ensures the
therapy) should be informed of the advantages as
best interest of the patient. The pharmacist is the key
well as disadvantages of this practice. All OTC drugs
to success of this triangular relationship.
carry some degree of risk and danger. The danger
may arise from undesirable side effects in normal
The pharmacist can strengthen his/her relationship
dosage, toxic effects due to accidents, misuse or
with the prescriber by:
abuse, masked symptoms of serious disease,
1. Inviting the prescriber to the pharmacy
improper storage, and other causes. The label and
2. Keeping the prescriber informed of unusual patient
package inserts may contain the necessary
problems, reactions, and progress
information in professional terms that the patient may
3. Detailing him/her on new products, new
not understand. An interpretation by the pharmacist
developments, special facilities, and services
can prevent unnecessary accidents.
available
4. Participating in inter-professional meetings and
Auto-therapy (Self-Medication)
health programs
Reasons against this practice:
To promote a close relationship between the
1. It treats only the symptoms but not the cause
pharmacist and the patient, the following should be
2. Misinterpretation of the printed directions and
done:
precautions
1. Personal contact in receiving and delivering
3. It delays treatment with disastrous results, even
prescriptions
death
2. Attending or supervising sales of OTC
4. Misuse and abuse of drug therapy due to ignorance
pharmaceuticals, accessory products, and health
on the potency and harmful effects when overused
supplies
5. Medications of pregnant women with possible birth
3. Providing professional advice and counsel
defects
whenever appropriate and pertinent
Arguments in favor of auto-therapy:
Factors that destroy this triangular relationship:
1. Minor complaints may be treated satisfactorily by
1. Counter prescribing
the layman and thus relieve the overloaded medical
2. Physician and/or nurse dispensing
profession
3. Self-service counters
2. Many home remedies are highly effective and
4. Mail-order service
afford symptomatic relief from allergies, fever, GI
5. Drug distributions through non-professional outlets,
disturbances, headache, the malaise of common
such as grocery stores, public vending machines, and
infections, minor aches, pains, and motion sickness
door-to-door peddlers
3. The human instinct to self-medication is too strong
to be denied as to be slated out of existence
Relations to Other Health Professions
4. Attempts to eliminate self-medication entirely will
(Interprofessional Relations)
lead to “bootleg” self-medication (unauthorized
medication)
Drug Consultant.
5. Home remedies are now strictly regulated with
The pharmacist is the most knowledgeable
respect to manufacturer, labeling, distribution, and
person regarding drugs. The education and training,
advertising
access to adequate facilities and opportunities,
6. Self-medication can be psychologically useful to
freedom from commercial bias and easy availability to
some individuals if practiced with reasonable
the local, medical, dental, and other practitioners
intelligence and understanding of basic facts on
make him/her the best consultant. The increasing
health and disease.
 Self-improvement.

In the past three decades, there have been

Compounding and Dispensing Prescriptions.
a lot of significant developments in pharmacy,
especially in the introduction of new important
The compounding and dispensing of Rxs
chemotherapeutic agents. New drugs, including new
must be distinguished from an ordinary commercial
forms of existing products, are continually being
transaction. The former requires professional service.
produced. Regular reading is the key to keeping
This includes more than the technical duties and
current with practice in this time of rapid change.
reading the prescriptions, counting or pouring the
medicine, and typing the label. The pharmacist is
Pharmaceutical research is a valuable tool for self-
responsible for the accuracy, quality and safety of the
improvement and should not be limited to college,
prescribed medication. He/she must see to it that the
industries, or hospitals. In community practice, simple
patient fully understands proper handling and storage,
evaluations of dosage forms, modifications of
dosage schedule, and route of administration of the
compounding procedures, an invention of equipment,
medicine.
and study of patron motivation are modest research
efforts worth engaging on.
Unless authorized by the prescriber, the pharmacist
should not discuss the therapeutic effect or
Well-organized meetings, conventions, seminars, and
composition of a prescription with the patient. The
workshops should be part of the activities even of a
discussion may lead to misunderstandings, confusion,
busy pharmacist.
or even alarm. Also, the doctor may wish to avoid
psychological influences that result from the patient’s
Recruitment.
knowledge of his/her condition.

Clandestine Arrangements. To ensure a continuing supply of qualified

The exploitation of the patient by certain
arrangements of the pharmacist with other members
of the health team should never be done. Unethical
practices include referral fees, rebates, kickbacks,
use of secret or coded prescriptions, commercial
advertising on prescription blanks, expensive gifts,
elaborate entertainment, and the sale of drug samples
for profit.
Some practices are “conflict-of-interest” situations
which often create temptation leading to abuses. The
patient is entitled to a free choice of physician or
pharmacist – someone he can trust. The quality of
service rendered is also improved by the element of
competition.
Interpersonal Relations.
Total health care for a patient today
requires the combined and cooperative efforts of a
team of specialists, a nurse, a dentist, a midwife, and
a medical technologist. The team members should
respect and understand each other for a closer
working relationship that will result in more effective
health care. Each needs the help of the other, and
each one can learn from the other.
Opportunities for a successful inter-professional
relationship
1. In-service visits between practitioners
2. Co-sponsor seminars and other professional
meetings
3. Participation in interprofessional and public health
activities
4. Special invitation for speakers, observers, and
visitors to professional meetings
5. Formal and informal correspondence related to
problems and plans of mutual interest
6. Social and community interaction
Relations to Fellow Pharmacists (Intra- Professional
Relations)
pharmacists, the members of the profession should
attempt to attract promising, responsible, superior
students of good character. The community
pharmacist is the most effective agent of recruitment
by setting an estimable example. Informal
conservations on the challenging and rewarding fields
of pharmaceutical services will provide enlightenment,
open their eyes to the rather unknown “faces of
pharmacy” and dispel the unjust observation that athe
pharmacist is just a glorified salesgirl.
Instruction.
Every pharmacist is a teacher by precept
and example. Their influence is greatly felt by
students undergoing internships. They are the key to
a successful internship program. While they apply
their academic training to professional practice, they
should not neglect ethical principles and practices
since they are actually molding the future pattern of
practice and conduct of their interns.
Professional Organizations.
“No man is an island.” No pharmacist can
remain isolated in her practice. Pharmaceutical
problems require group effort for solutions. Thus,
pharmacists need professional organization, and the
professional organizations need the active support of
pharmacists in terms of time, energy, and funds.
Unethical Practices.
A pharmacist represents her profession and
carries with her the reputation and image of the
profession. Prevention and elimination of unethical
practices are important responsibilities of the
profession. The pharmacist should expose the corrupt
and dishonest practices through proper channels to
the proper authorities to weed out unprofessional
practices and thus maintain public trust and
confidence. To function effectively, a profession must
police itself.
Intraprofessional Relations.
 All pharmacists share in the aspiration,
ideals as well as problems of the profession. To
achieve these goals and to sole problems in the best
interest of the profession and the public, harmony,
cooperation, and dedication are necessary. Selfish
interest should be subordinated to the public interest.
Service must always be the primary objective of every
pharmacist to promote a close cohesive
intraprofessional relationship.

Relation of Legal and Ethical Control

Module 7
The Code of Et
Both law and ethics are interrelated,
although it may happen that something believed
PHARMACY OATH AND ETHICAL CODE
ethical now may be considered illegal before. An
example is the substitution of prescribed drugs. Some
 The first code of ethics for pharmacists in
associations consider this ethical, but the laws state
the US was adopted in 1848 by the
otherwise.
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. When
the American Pharmaceutical Association
Additional Facts and Acts
(APhA) was founded in 1852 it adopted a
code of ethics modeled after the
 Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. The
(TAMA) of 1997 is known as RA 8423
code of the APhA, the national professional
 Universal Health Care Act is known as RA
society of pharmacists, is generally
11223
recognized as establishing the guidelines of
 Special Law on Counterfeit drugs is RA
conduct for American pharmacists. Initially,
8203
members of the association were required
 Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality
to subscribe to the code but in 1855 this
Medicines Act of 2008 is RA 9502
obligation was dropped and the code itself
 Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2019 is
disappeared from the literature for over half
RA 9994
a century. A revised code was adopted by
 Generics Act of 1988 is RA 6675
the Association in 1922 with modifications
in 1952. In 1967 the APhA convened a
Conference on Ethics and in here the
sentiments expressed by the conferees
reflected the thinking of the leadership of
American pharmacy concerning the form
and role of professional ethics in
pharmacy’s future. A new code of ethics
was adopted by the Association in 1969. It
was amended in 1975 and in 1979, the
Judicial Board was deleted as an elected
unit of the APhA. A judicial board may be
appointed to render a specific opinion
applying the principles of the code.

CODE OF ETHICS FOR PHARMACISTS

 Preamble

 Pharmacists are health professionals who

assist individuals in making the best use of
medications. This Code, prepared and
supported by pharmacists, is intended to
state publicly the principles that form the
fundamental basis of the roles and
responsibilities of pharmacists. The
principles, based on moral obligations and
virtues, are established to guide
pharmacists in relationships with patients,
health professionals, and society.

American Pharmacists Association, Oct. 27, 1994.

1. A pharmacist respects the covenantal relationship

between the patient and pharmacist.

• Considering the patient-pharmacist relationship as a

covenant means that a pharmacist has moral
obligations in response to the gift of trust received
from society. In return for this gift, a pharmacist
promises to
help individuals achieve, optimum benefit from their
medications, to be committed to their welfare, and to
maintain their trust.
2. A pharmacist promotes the good of every patient
in caring, compassionate, and confidential manner.
• A pharmacist’s places concern for the well-being of
the patient at the center of professional practice. In
doing so, a pharmacist considers needs stated by the
patient as well as those defined by health science. A
pharmacist is dedicated to protecting the dignity of the
patient. With a caring attitude and a compassionate
spirit, a pharmacist focuses on serving the patient in a
private and confidential manner.
3. A pharmacist respects the autonomy and dignity of
each patient.
• A pharmacist promotes the right of self-
determination and recognizes individual self- worth by
encouraging patients to participate in decisions about
their health. A pharmacist communicates with patients
in terms that are understandable. In all cases, a
pharmacist respects personal and cultural differences
among the patient.
4. A pharmacist acts with honesty and integrity in
professional relationships.
• A pharmacist has a duty to tell the truth and to act
with conviction of conscience. A pharmacist avoids
discriminatory practices, behavior or work conditions
that impair professional judgment, and actions that
compromise dedications to the best interests
of patient.
5. A pharmacist maintains professional competence
• A pharmacist has a duty to maintain knowledge and
abilities as new medications, devices, and
technologies become available and health information
advances.
6. A pharmacist respects the values and abilities of
colleagues and other health professionals
• When appropriate, a pharmacist asks for the
consultation of colleagues or other health
professionals or refers the patient. A pharmacist
acknowledges that colleagues and other health
professionals may differ in
the beliefs and values they apply to the care of the
patient.
7. A pharmacist serves individual, community and
societal needs.
• The primary obligation of a pharmacist is to
individual patients. However, the obligations of a
pharmacist may at times extend beyond the individual
to the community and society. In these situations, the
pharmacists recognize the responsibilities that
accompany these obligations and acts accordingly.
8. A pharmacist seeks justice in the distribution of
health resources
• When health resources are allocated, a pharmacist
is fair and equitable, balancing the needs of patients
and
society.
Filipino Pharmacist
1. A pharmacist places the well-being of the patient at
the center of professional practice.
2. A pharmacist promotes the welfare of each
individual in a caring and compassionate manner.
3. A pharmacist respects the rights of patient and
upholds confidentiality of patient records.
4. A pharmacist acts with honesty, integrity and
professionalism in relationship with the patient and
other health professionals.
5. A pharmacist is committed to continuously enhance
professional competence.
6. A pharmacist respects the abilities, values and
contributions of colleagues and other health
professionals and work with the closely to ensure
better patient care.
7. A pharmacist serves the needs of the individual,
community and society and provides health for all.
8. A pharmacist, in coordination with the government
and other health professionals helps in the
formulation
and implementation of health care policies, standards
and programs designed for the benefit of society.
FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE
PHARMACEUTIQUE (FIP) CODE OF ETHICS
• FIP recommends that:
1. In every country, pharmacist’s associations
produce or support the development by competent
authorities
of an up-to-date Code of Ethics for pharmacists
setting out their professional obligations and take
steps to ensure that pharmacists comply with the
provisions of that Code.
2. Consideration should also be given to contributing
to the development of transdisciplinary Codes of
Ethics, where the opportunities exist to do so.
3. In every country, institutions offering
pharmaceutical education and continuing professional
development should include the Code of Ethics, and
its underlying principles of respect for the autonomy of
persons, beneficence, no maleficence and justice, in
their offerings for all students and professionals.
4. The obligations of pharmacists formalized in these
codes should at least include:
a) to act with honesty and integrity in their
relationships with consumers, patients and carers,
and other health professionals, including pharmacy
practice colleagues, and not engage in any behavior
or activity likely to bring the profession into disrepute
or to undermine public confidence in the profession;
b) to ensure that their priorities are the safety, well-
being and the best interests of those to whom they
provide professional services and that they act at all
times as autonomous health professionals,
recognizing the challenges posed by divided loyalties
and the potential in many settings for conflicts of
interest that need careful management;
c) to always act professionally, in accordance with
scientific principles and professional standards,
including those developed by the International
Pharmaceutical Federation.
d) to co-operate and collaborate with colleagues,
other health professionals, consumers, patients,
carers and other actors in the healthcare delivery
system to ensure that the best possible quality of
healthcare is provided both to individuals and the
community at large, while always considering the
limitations of available resources and the principles of
equity and justice;
e) to respect and protect the confidentiality of patient
information acquired or accessed in the course of
providing professional services and to ensure that
such information is only disclosed with the informed
consent of that individual or as allowed by applicable
legislation and regulation;
f) to respect patients’ rights and recognize and
respect the cultural differences, beliefs and values of
patients, careers and other healthcare professionals,
particularly in the event of conflict with their own moral
or religious beliefs;
g) to ensure continuity of care for the patient in the
event of conflict with their own moral or religious
beliefs, based on respect for patient autonomy;
h) to comply with legislation and accepted codes and
standards of practice in the provision of all
professional services and pharmaceutical products
and to ensure the integrity of the supply chain for
medicines; and
i) to ensure that they maintain competence through
continuing professional development.
Module 8
CODE OF ETHICS
National Pharmaceuti
Introduction
• Pharmacists as one of the health-care
providers face ethical issues in terms of
pharmaceutical care, relationship with
patients and cooperation with the health-
care team. Other than pharmacy, there are
pharmaceutical companies in various fields
of manufacturing, importing or distributing
that have themown ethical issues.
Therefore, pharmacy practice is vulnerable
to ethical challenges and needs special
code of conducts.
• The code of conduct is comprised of
professional code of ethics for pharmacists,
ethics guideline for pharmaceutical
manufacturers, ethics guideline for
pharmaceutical importers, ethics guideline
for pharmaceutical distributors, and ethics
guideline for policy makers. The document
was compiled based on the principles of
bioethics and professionalism. Compiling of
the code of ethics for the national
pharmaceutical system is the first step in
implementing ethics in pharmacy practice
and further attempts into teaching the
professionalism and the ethical code as
necessary and complementary efforts.
Professional Code of Ethics for Pharmacists
• This consists of 8 articles originating from principles
of bioethics and professionalism in pharmacy, which
includes respect for patients’
1. Dignity and autonomy
2. Beneficence
3. Nonmaleficence
4. Justice
5. Empathy
6. Honesty
7. Cooperation
8. Excellence
Proper ethical relationship between
a) pharmacists and patients,
b) pharmacists and physicians, and
c) other health-care providers were considered (as
discussed under the previous module).
Respect for Patient’s Dignity and Autonomy
• Although patients get much of their
information about the disease and
medications from their physicians, still
physicians do not meet all patients’ needs.
Lack of enough time with doctors and in
some occasion, knowledge about
medications provide a good chance for
pharmacists to show their abilities and
expertise.
• It is the pharmacist’s responsibility to fulfill
the information gap, but often patients are
not aware of the former’s capacities.
• possess a knowledge base that at least minimally
PRINCIPLES
A. The Pharmacist’s Patients and Clients
1. A pharmacist places the health and well-
being of the individual and the community
at the center of professional practice.
2. A pharmacist respects the autonomy and
rights of the patient and recognizes cultural
differences.
3. A pharmacist cares for each individual with
competence and compassion.
Autonomy
• In health care, we think of autonomy as
individuals’ right to decide what will happen
to their bodies, what choices will be made
among competing options, and what they
choose to take, or not take, into their
bodies. We also allude to questions of
autonomy when we refer to choosing
among healthcare providers and refusing
medical treatment. Patients generally
choose their physician, pharmacy, and
hospital. Patients are allowed to choose
from multiple options of treatment when
they exist. Patients must give their
approval, through the process of informed
consent, before initiating care.
• There are two ethically justifiable
exceptions to the principle of autonomy:
weak paternalism and the harm principle.
• The concept of medical paternalism is in
direct conflict with the principle of
autonomy. Medical paternalism suggests
that pharmacists and other healthcare
professionals know what is best for their
patients because of their education and
training. As a result, healthcare
professionals believe they are justified in
overriding a patient's autonomy. Medical
paternalism dominated Western medical
practice until the last several decades when
the primacy of patient rights and the
concept of medical consumerism became
recognized.
• Strong paternalism – the violation of
another person’s autonomy because you
believe they are either making the wrong
decision or a decision that will cause harm
to themselves – is not considered an
ethically justifiable reason to override a
patient’s autonomy. However, under the
harm principle, one is justified in overriding
the autonomy of another if, in the exercise
of that autonomy, harm may come to
others.
Competence, Trustworthiness, and Caring
• Berger has attempted to describe the characteristics
that a pharmacist should possess:
1. Pharmacists must be competent. They must
allows them to carry out their functions as reliable
therapeutic experts.
2. Pharmacists must be trustworthy. Patients must
know that they can seek the confidential advice and
assistance of their pharmacist and their wishes will be
carried out.
3. Pharmacists must care for and about their patients.
As the 1995 American Pharmaceutical Association
(APhA) Code of Ethics directs, “A pharmacist places
concern for the well-being of the patient at the center
of professional practice.”
B. The Pharmacy Profession
1. A pharmacist acts with honesty, integrity
and professionalism in her/his relationship
with patients, carers and other stakeholders
in healthcare.
2. A pharmacist abides by regulatory
requirements, scientific principles,
professional practice and ethical standards.
3. A pharmacist is committed to lifelong
learning to enhance professional
competence.
4. A pharmacist demonstrates commitment
to the development and enhancement of
the profession.’
Moral Rights versus Legal Rights to Health Care
• Any discussion of pharmacy ethics must be
clear about what is meant by the term right.
Legal rights are either guaranteed
fundamentally in the Constitution of a nation
(e.g., the rights of free speech and
assembly) or are provided by laws and
regulations promulgated at the federal,
state, or local level. We sometimes confuse
 what are really legal rights with our moral
obligations.
• Moral rights are quite different from legal
rights. Granted, these rights may be
reinforced by laws, but their basis lies not in
law but in ethical principles. Such rights
might include the right to live without fear of
harm and the right to food and adequate
shelter.
• As one might expect, moral rights and legal
rights may conflict. There is a decrease morbidity, mortality, healthcare
disagreement, for example, over whether
issues such as abortion involve moral rights
or legal rights.
Ethical Responsibility
• In traditional pharmacy practice, both the
legal and ethical obligations of pharmacists
centered around ensuring that the proper
medication as ordered by the prescriber
was delivered to the patient. Physicians, not
pharmacists, were the healthcare
professionals who held ultimate
responsibility for monitoring the progress of
a patient and ensuring that the desired
outcome was achieved.
• Pharmaceutical care forces pharmacy
practitioners to change their focus, and
broaden their professional responsibility.
Confidentiality
• When pharmacists keep information private
from others unless the patient gives
permission to release it, they respect the
autonomous decision of the individual.
Medical confidentiality needs to be
requested explicitly by patients: all medical
information, by nature, is generally
considered to be confidential, unless the
patient grants approval for its release.
Beneficence
• This speaks of optimizing drug therapy
according to the patient’s interests.
Providing the best health-care services
needs efficient pharmacist-patient
relationships, confirming the accuracy of
the Rx and documentation of every
professional function carried out in the
pharmacy. One of the most important
issues in this code is the pharmacists’
responsibilities for selling every drug
including supplements, herbal products,
OTC medications, etc. This is an emphasis
on the pharmacists’ duty and accountability.
Non-maleficence
• This third article emphasizes that a
pharmacist should not harm the patient. It
describes a situation in which a pharmacist
is not able to do his/her tasks and guides
the pharmacist how to assign his / her duty
to the technician or another pharmacist.
• In order to prevent quackery (dishonest
practices and claims to have special
knowledge and skill in some field, typically
medicine), it is recommended that
pharmacists provide sufficient and efficient
drug information to patients regardless of
financial benefits. Patient safeguarding and
drug safety is of the most important issues
in health-care which could principally
costs.
• Beneficence and no maleficence are ethical
principles that are, in a sense,
complimentary to one another. Beneficence
indicates that you act in a manner to do
good for another. Nonmaleficence refers to
taking due care avoiding harm. Beauchamp
and Childress compare these related
principles:
• The word nonmaleficence is sometimes
used more broadly to include the prevention
of harm and the removal of harmful
conditions. However, because prevention
and removal require positive acts to assist
others, we include them under beneficence
along with the provision of benefit.
Nonmaleficence is restricted to the
noninfliction of harm.
Justice
• This is the fourth article that mandates fair
resource allocation in pharmacies and
guides the pharmacists during times of drug
shortage. Regardless of market forces and
financial problems, pharmacists ought to
play a critical role in reducing the cost of
treatment and improving the quality of
healthcare. Ethical codes are not enough
for alleviating moral distress and supportive
measures should be provided by
management and work organizations.
Distributive justice refers to the equal
distribution of the benefits and burdens of
society among all members of the society
Fidelity requires that pharmacists act in
such a way to demonstrate loyalty to their patients.
This professional relationship places on the
pharmacist the burden of acting in the best interest of
the patient. Pharmacists have an obligation of fidelity
to all their patients, regardless of the length of the
professional relationship. In community pharmacy, for
example, practitioners have the same obligation to
show fidelity to an occasional patient as they have to
a regular customer.
C. Other Health Professionals
A pharmacist respects and collaborates
with other healthcare professionals and colleagues to
achieve optimal treatment outcomes for their patients
and ensures continuum of care.
D. Professional Business Practices
A pharmacist conducts the business of
pharmacy in an ethical and professional manner.
E. The Society
1. A pharmacist, in coordination with the
government and non- government
organizations, actively participates in the
formulation and implementation of health
care policies, standards and programs
designed for the benefit of society/
2. A pharmacist advocates equitable
distribution of health resources, health
promotion, disease prevention and
wellness.
pharmacists’ involvement in providing
special health care services necessitates
this profession to get revolutionized.
• The alteration of pharmacy practice from
drug dispensing to pharmaceutical care
obliges pharmacists to be informed of
ethical challenges faced by other health
care providers as well as ethical challenges
of their profession.
• The code of ethics for the national
pharmaceutical system can establish
information to the pharmacists of their role
and responsibilities in helping them solve
ethical issues in the different fields of
pharmacy practice.

Empathy and Excellence

Module 9
• These are the fifth and sixth articles which
tells us that showing empathy with patients RA 5921 vs RA 1
in cooperation with physicians and other
healthcare providers are of major concern. DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES

• It means fostering a shared responsibility

and better therapeutic consequences which
aligns empathy, kindness and compassion
in service to build a proper relationship with
patients. Updating their knowledge,
pharmacists can develop their professional
patients-oriented services based on
patients’ interests and develop better
cooperation with physicians and other
healthcare providers, which could lessen
confusion in the patients’ minds.

• Public confidence and the pharmacy

reputation are regarded as two
considerable goals.

Honesty

• This emphasizes a situation in which gifts

are given to the pharmacists which dictates,
under the pharmacists’ code of ethics, that
a pharmacist should not allow such
incidences to happen; attendance in work
days, banning buying and selling of special
products, body piercing, etc., or allowing his
/her name to be used in connection to
advertisements for promotion of either
worthy or unworthy products.

• Pharmacies that sell tobacco and alcohol is

not a good message to consumers
inasmuch as it violates laws against
cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption.

CONCLUSION

• The imbalance between the pharmacist’s

knowledge and expertise and their role in
health care as well as a lack of the
 they have a License to Operate (LTO) as retailer from
FDA, or if these
products are part of clinical procedures like in surgery,
dialysis, vaccination,
etc.

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

of the New Pharmacy Act

 The summary of RA10918, or more

generally known as the summary of the
New Pharmacy Act, is this: it extends
pharmacists’ duties to include
immunization. It aims to make the
pharmacy workforce skilled by promoting
the standard of NC III pharmacy assistants,
making it more rigorous to determine and
provide licenses to pharmacy employees.
Advantages and disadvantages of the New
Pharmacy Act RA 10918 are as follows:

• According to Asia Pacific Institute for Medication

Management (APIMM), the new Act will greatly
contribute not only to the pharmacy industry but also
in the whole health care system in ensuring the
provision of better medication care to the public.

• On the other hand, the disadvantage of this new Act

is more for medical doctors, drug manufacturers, drug
distributors and unlicensed retail outlets. The role of
dispensing of drug products will only be exclusive to
pharmacists. Moreover, the FDA will become strict in
prohibiting all drug manufacturers and distributors in
selling to unlicensed retail outlets, including clinics of
medical doctors. According to FDA, the role of doctors
does not include the procurement, storage and selling
of medicines unless