Pharmaceutical

Marketing
UNIT II: T HE HEA LT HCA RE BUSINESS IN T HE PHILIPPINES

Content
Total Healthcare Concept
Self-medication
Pharmacists Role on Self-medication
Attitude towards Common Ailments and Self-medication

Total Health Care

2 General Categories:
Medical Care provided by the decision
Self-Care patients caring for themselves
Rank low on a monetary basis with medical care
Self-medication necessitates the proper guidance of a licensed physician or pharmacist
Self-medicating patients are most likely to be self-diagnosing

Self-medication and Self-diagnosis

OTC Drugs

Effect of

Reason for

Filipino Consumers
1. Promotion of Health
2. Reduction of Undesired effects
3. Diagnosis and Treatment of
Disease
4. Effective Use Professional
Health Resources

1.
2.
3.
4.

Self-initiated and Self-controlled Application of Skills

for Health Promotion

Self care
Overall Health Status
Economics of Health
Health Care System

Self-Medication
An approach for self-caring patients, always self-initiated and self-controlled.
Increased professional responsibility on the Pharmacist
Knowledge of Illness
Knowledge of Patients
Knowledge of Drugs

Arguments for Self-Medication

1. Self-medication is readily available, more convenient and in some countries
still cheaper than professional help in relieving certain minor symptoms and
ailments
2. Self-medication keeps the individual functioning in times when he would
otherwise be quiet unnecessarily indisposed by indigestion, headache or
constipation
3. Self-medication relieves an unnecessary heavy load on the medical services
4. When simple home remedies fail, an individual may seek means to treat
himself in less reliable means and less simple to control and direct.

Pharmacists Role
Self-medicating patients would have determined:
Nature of the Problem/Illness
Probable resolution with OTC drugs
Product type

Pharmacists Role
Help patients retrace steps to arrive at self-diagnosis
Answer specific patient questions
Recommend appropriate product and provide adequate instruction and warning

Attitude Towards Common

Ailments and Self-medication

Choice of OTC based on Services of Information

RANK

Services of Information

Doctors Advice

Advice of a Parent

Knowledge of OTC drugs

Proximity of Drugstore

Advice of a Friend

Advice of a Drugstore Personnel

Television Advertisement

Radio Advertisement

Newspaper Advertisement

10

Outdoor Advertisement

Attitude Towards Self-medication Practices

RANK

Self-medication Practice

Necessary Remedy

Temporary Remedy

Safe and Convenient

Illegal

Dangerous

Intentions/Purpose of Buying OTC Drugs

RANK

Intentions/Purpose of Buying OTC Drugs

To seek immediate relief of minor ailment

To save time and efforts going to a doctors clinic

To save money on Rx drugs

To avoid cost of consultation of doctors

Strategic Locations in Buying OTC Drugs

RANK

Frequency in Buying OTC Drugs

Drugstore

Sari-sari store

Grocery/Supermarket

Primary Reasons of Buying OTC Drugs

RANK

Primary Reasons of Buying OTC Drugs

Effectiveness of the Product

Safety of the Product

Price of the Product

Popularity of the Product

Presentation of the Product

Manufacturer of the Product

Self-medication Practice of Common Ailments

RANK

Common Ailments

Headache

Fever

Colds

Flu

Sore throat

Itchiness

Skin rashes

Diarrhea

Sore eyes

10

Muscle pain

Self-medication Practice of Common Ailments

RANK

Common Ailments

11

Pimples

12

Minor burns

13

Abdominal pain

14

Dysmenorrhea

15

Athletes foot

16

Poor appetite

17

Measles

18

Chest/Back Pains

19

Hemorrhoids

20

Ulcers

Take Home Activity

1.

Why is there a classification as OTC, ethical-OTC ethical and proprietary drugs? Is there a
regulation posted by FDA on these products be specific.

2.

How do you describe the health care concept and relate it to the actual practice in the
industry? Interview an active practitioner in the medical or dental or allied profession.
Obtain their views and actual experience.

3.

Discuss the role of drug manufacturers, advertising agencies and DOH in the effective
regulation of OTC drugs. Be specific.

4.

Discuss the different information dissemination towards self-care use of OTC drugs in all
levels of socio-economic status. Be specific and give examples.

5.

Find out the attitudes of physicians towards self-medication practices through OTC drugs
among Filipino consumers. Provide rankings of different possible attitudes.