Where to Buy Cancer Medicines in the Philippines Safely

Safe places to buy cancer medicines

The Philippine FDA gives the same advice in each of its counterfeit-drug warnings: buy medicines only from FDA-licensed establishments. Most families get cancer medicines from one of the places below.

Take extra care when you order online. FDA Advisory No. 2019-154 says online selling of medicines is not permitted in the Philippines. The FDA allows online ordering only when the seller already has an FDA-licensed pharmacy or botika with a physical address, and only as an extra activity the FDA has approved. Whoever you buy from online, they should give you a real business name, a physical business address, a License to Operate number you can check, and a pharmacist you can talk to.

If the medicine will be given at the hospital, ask your oncologist or chemotherapy nurse first. Ask whether the hospital accepts medicines that you bring in, and how to store them until the treatment day.

• Hospital pharmacies: the simplest choice when the medicine will be given in the hospital's chemotherapy or infusion unit.
• Licensed drugstores, including pharmacies that focus on oncology. Under the Philippine Pharmacy Act (RA 10918), prescription medicines must be dispensed by a registered pharmacist, with only a narrow exception for emergencies.
• FDA-licensed importers and distributors: some of them supply hard-to-find oncology and hematology medicines. Ask what their License to Operate covers, then check it yourself.

How to check an FDA License to Operate and product registration

You need to make two separate checks. The License to Operate shows that the business is allowed to operate. The product registration shows that this particular medicine is registered in the Philippines. The DOH and FDA ask the public to check both on the free FDA Verification Portal at verification.fda.gov.ph. You can search by keyword, product name, registration number or company name.

For a registered product, the portal shows details such as the manufacturer, the trader, and the dates the registration was issued and expires. It also lists any FDA advisories about the product. If a medicine or a seller does not come up, don't buy until your doctor or pharmacist has explained why.

• Ask the seller for their full registered company name and their License to Operate number.
• Search the company name on the portal and make sure the name, address and validity dates match what the seller told you.
• Search the medicine by brand name, generic name or registration number.
• Check that the strength and dosage form match the prescription exactly.
• Read any advisory the portal shows for that product.

Red flags of fake medicines and unlicensed online sellers

The World Health Organization estimates that at least 1 in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified. It says such products are found in every kind of medicine, cancer therapies included. The Philippine FDA warns that a medicine bought online may have no active ingredient, or too much or too little of it, and may not have been stored properly. That can be true even when it looks the same as the real one.

Cancer medicines are not spared. A 2022 study in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network looked at 44 English-language websites selling imatinib, an oral cancer medicine, that shipped to the United States. Only 3 were certified. About half (23) were classed as rogue pharmacies. 13 sold imatinib without a prescription, and 34 did not offer a consultation with a pharmacist.

If you suspect a fake medicine or an unlicensed seller, report it to the FDA at report@fda.gov.ph or through eReport (www.fda.gov.ph/ereport). Also tell your cancer care team, especially if you notice any unexpected side effects.

• The seller offers a prescription cancer medicine without asking for a prescription.
• There is no physical pharmacy address or License to Operate number, or the name doesn't match the FDA portal.
• You can reach the seller only through a personal social media account or a chat, and no pharmacist is available.
• The seller claims that FDA officials endorse the product. FDA Advisory No. 2024-0541 says its officials and employees have no authority to endorse health products.
• The box looks different from one you got at the hospital. One FDA counterfeit advisory listed a different container, printed strength, pack size and logo, plus a batch number the real company had never imported.
• Seals are broken, boxes look relabelled, or the batch number or expiry date is missing.
• The price is far below everywhere else. Treat that as a reason to check more carefully, not as a bargain.

Medicines that must stay cold (cold chain)

WHO storage guidance calls these time- and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products. If they are stored or transported outside set conditions, they can break down until they no longer work as intended. Cold rooms in that guidance are kept between +2 °C and +8 °C, the usual refrigerator range. You usually can't see this kind of damage. That is one reason the FDA lists improper storage among the risks of buying medicines online.

Always read the storage instructions on the box or package insert. Ask the seller how they will keep the medicine within that range all the way to your door.

• Before ordering, ask how the medicine will be packed (for example, an insulated box with cold packs) and how long delivery will take.
• When it arrives, check that the box is cool and the cold packs are still cold before you accept it.
• Store it right away exactly as the label says, in its original box.
• If it arrives warm or the cold packs have melted, don't use it. Call the seller and ask your pharmacist for advice.
• On treatment day, carry it to the hospital the way your care team tells you to.

Getting a price quotation

A written quotation helps you compare suppliers. It is also often needed when you apply for help with medicine costs. In 2021, for example, PCSO said requests for chemotherapy medicines under its Medical Assistance Program should include price quotations from the pharmacy where the patient will buy. Families also ask for help from DSWD, the Office of the Vice President and the Office of the President. Some of these offices issue guarantee letters to accredited suppliers.

Requirements such as how many quotations to submit, which suppliers are accredited and how long a guarantee letter is valid change from time to time. Confirm them with the agency or office before you apply. Prices also change, so check how long each quotation is valid.

• Patient name, plus the generic and brand name of each medicine
• Strength, dosage form and quantity, matching the prescription
• Unit price, total and how long the quotation is valid
• Supplier's registered name, address, contact details and License to Operate number
• A signature or company stamp, if the agency asks for one

Ordering with a prescription and paying on delivery

A trustworthy seller asks for a valid prescription for prescription medicines and has a pharmacist check it before anything is dispensed. Send a clear, complete photo of the prescription. Before you pay, wait for the seller to confirm the medicine, strength, quantity and total. If you choose cash on delivery, open and check the package in front of the rider before you pay.

How 2MG Inc. can help: 2MG Inc. is a Philippine FDA-licensed drug importer, distributor and wholesaler (License to Operate CDRR-NCR-DI/E/W-31324) in Las Piñas City that specialises in oncology and hematology medicines. It is an accredited guarantee letter provider for PCSO, DSWD, the Office of the Vice President and the Office of the President, and it issues official quotations for assistance applications, so if an office asks for quotations from several suppliers, 2MG's can be one of them. For current prices, see our price list.

• Check that the seal is intact and that the medicine, strength and quantity match your order.
• Compare the batch number and expiry date on the box with your receipt.
• For cold-chain medicines, check that the cold packs are still cold.
• Get an official receipt and keep it with the box until the medicine is used up.
• Don't send payment to the personal account of a seller you can't verify.