Philippines Regulatory Classification

If you're a patient and wondering why a pharmacist is so meticulous in checking your prescription, this is because pharmacists are in charge of monitoring what medicines to dispense. It's for your own safety too. Proper prescription must be used and accurate details must be written. Otherwise, the drugs will not be handed to you.

Prescription Only Medicines

If you are working in a retail pharmacy or hospital pharmacy, you must be familiar with regulatory classification of medicines. 

1. DD, Rx 
   This includes all drugs listed in Comprehensive Dangerous Drug of 2002 (such as those drugs listed in 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, in 1971 Single Convention on Psychotropic Substances and in 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. A physician must have a license from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) before he  or she can prescribe a certain drug. A special prescription form also called as Yellow Prescription is use to prescribe these medicines.
   
2. EDD, Rx 
   Medicinal preparations with prohibited or regulated drugs will fall under this classification. Regular prescription forms can be used in prescribing these drugs granted that the physician has S2 licence issued by PDEA.
   
3. Rx
   These medicines can only be dispensed with a valid prescription issued by a doctor or dentist. In other countries, it is called Prescription Only Medicines (POM).
   
4. Non-Rx
   These medicines can be bought in any retail pharmacy or sometimes in supermarkets without prescription. It is also refer as over-the-counter medicines.