SARI-SARI stores that sell over-the-counter medicines should first secure an authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for them to avoid arrest.
According to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año, sari-sari stores can simply apply for FDA authorization if they want to sell medicines legally.
“The stores can apply with the FDA and if they are given authorization, they can sell,’’ Año said.
Under Section 30 of Republic Act 10918 or the Philippine Pharmacy Act, only FDA-licensed retail drug outlets or pharmacies are allowed to sell medicines to the public.
But the DILG chief that small stores can only sell over-the-counter medicines and not prescription drugs.
“It would be difficult to control, generally if we say that they can sell OTC medicines, the public will be affected if those medicines are fake or not according to prescription so they should be careful about this,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is already preparing to launch “buy-bust operations” against sari-sari stores that don’t have a permit to sell medicines.
“We can conduct buy-bust operations as it is considered illegal drugs, unregulated drugs. And we have to see if they have permits, (or) authority or accreditation,” says PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo.
“We cannot just simply say ‘we bought it there;’ the police must be the ones who bought it and saw the medicines which will be our basis,” Fajardo added.