Many Filipinos do not have access to affordable and effective medicines. In certain parts of the Philippines, children die from complications that are results of common diseases like diarrhea and colds.
Watsons operates more than 4,000 stores and 1,000 pharmacies in the world
“There still are many gaps that need to be addressed to improve health literacy in the country. Poverty and lack of education remain to be some of biggest contributors that prevent patients to communicate, understand health information, and subsequently make sound decisions about their health. What we need is a pragmatic approach toward health literacy—not only involving the doctor and patient but also the pharmacist and product,” said Dr. Anthony Leachon, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, during the launch of Watsons Generics.
Health literacy is achieved when patients and providers truly understand each other, explained Leachon.
Watsons hopes to contribute to the health literacy cycle by introducing its own line of generic medicines and promote empowerment among Filipinos.
“We believe that the public and private sectors can collaboratively develop solutions to mitigate this problem of low health literacy. The new product line of Watsons Generics is a testament of our commitment to give the public more options so they can take control of their health,” said Danilo Chiong, health business director of Watsons.
Watsons Generics features the more affordable versions of 45 of the most availed-of medicines in the country
Watsons Generics maintains highly trained pharmacists in all of its branches nationwide to support consumers with their medical decisions, particularly in purchasing medicines and adhering to the doctor’s prescription.
“Pharmacists must do their part in educating the public through conversations with customers. The wellbeing of our customers is at the core of everything we do, and by entering the generics industry, we enable Filipinos to remain vigilant in their decision-making process when it comes to their health care,” said Chiong.
Bethsaida Pascual, Watsons category manager, said Watsons Generics features the more affordable versions of 45 of the most availed-of medicines in the country.
Watsons started making available its generics brand across all its outlets nationwide as early as May this year. The line includes maintenance medicines for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, antibiotics to fight off the common bacteria, dietary supplements for skin enhancement, anti-aging and overall wellness, basic vitamins, oral analgesics and other over the counter medicines.
Watsons health business manager Danilo Chiong with category manager Bethsaida Pascual (left) and marketing manager Karen Fabres
Watsons marketing manager Karen Fabres said they enlisted Edu Manzano and Lorna Tolentino to be the faces of the campaign and help assure consumers that Watsons Generics are safe and effective to use.
To ensure the quality of Watsons Generics, partner manufacturers undergo a screening process that meets international standards.
“Our generic medicines are produced by trusted partners. All of these go through a rigorous screening process and a third party audit. These methods on top of Philippine regulatory agency standards assure consumers that they are purchasing high quality products,” said Chiong.
Watsons Generics medicines have all passed the regulatory requirements of local and international quality assurance agencies. The medicines are registered with the Philippine Food and Drug Administration, passed bioequivalence test and manufactured by facilities with certificates of Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). The Watsons Generics have all of these quality assurances while offering up to 80 percent savings versus leading brands.
Watsons operates more than 4,000 stores and 1,000 pharmacies in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea, Indonesia, Turkey and Ukraine. In 2002, the Watsons Group teamed up with SM Prime Holdings, Inc., to open Watsons stores in the country.