A Reply for a Friend

Why I disagree with the provision in the cheap medicine bill penalizing doctors for writing the brand name in addition to the generic name of drugs...

Every organization has its bad eggs. There are doctors who cheat, lie, falsify, manipulate and even kill, intentionally or unintentionally. Finishing medical school only gives us credence to wear a doctors' gown/blazer/smack and a stethoscope but not a halo. In short, the MD that is attached to our names does not stand for Moral Doctor but simply, Medical Doctor. Although we deal with lives, we are not gods. We are as human as the next bum on the street. WE ARE SO LIMITED. We sin. We get tempted.

If I am a bad egg and refuse to change, I can continue to be one even if there is a law prohibiting me from writing the brand name. I can still make my patient buy the brand of the pharmaceutical company that promised me a trip to the US. All I have to do is to write on a separate piece of paper the brand name to avoid any legal snag and take advantage of the trust accorded to me by my patient by convincing him that this brand and only this brand will make him well. This amendment certainly will not affect me or make my coffers any lighter. I will not even bother to fight this amendment. I might even see it as another opportunity to enrich myself by going into the business of selling generic drugs!


But there are good eggs in the medical organization who sincerely want what is best for their patients. There are doctors who choose to write the brand name not because the pharmaceutical company sponsored his conference for advanced education but because he sincerely believes the brand is more efficacious and safe compared to the others. There are doctors who may accept the offers of free trips, free meals, free ballpen by pharmaceutical companies but who do not allow these "perks" to influence their choice of medicine.

This amendment deprives doctors who prescribe with a conscience the option to write the brand they feel will make their patients heal faster.

As an example, when I needed to replace the battery of my car, I asked around for the most durable and cost effective brand. There were many suggestions but I chose to go for the brand recommended by my mechanic because I believed he was the one who knew best.

Making it a crime to have the option to write the brand name is similar to silencing my mechanic from making any recommendation as to the best type of battery around. My mechanic's input was a big help. Similarly, I think patients will appreciate and likely want their doctors to give them the drug proven by their experience to work.

It's an incontrovertible fact. There are good eggs and bad eggs in every organization. Pushing through with this amendment is likened to crushing a whole colony of bees simply because one bee bit you. On the other hand, because of this sting, hopefully the flaws of the medical system especially pertaining to the procurement and regulation of drugs in the country can be addressed.