Professor Guido David of the OCTA Research Groups expressed concern over the spike in new cases after restrictions on travel, business establishments, and mass gatherings have been eased. The infection rate reached 5,000 cases on March 13, 2021, the highest daily tally in the last seven months, and The Philippine College of Emergency Medicine reported an observation of family clustering of COVID cases.
This is not the time to let our guards down and in fact, there is a need to respond to the situation urgently and with great caution to effectively manage and control the spread of the virus.
While waiting for more vaccines to be delivered to our country, Phil. Archipelago Intl. Trading Corp. took a proactive approach and requested the Office of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for the reclassification of Lianhua Qingwen capsules to over the counter (OTC) to make them more accessible to our fellow Filipino.
This was referred to the Committee on Reclassification of the Dangerous Drugs Board, and after the conduct of a public hearing, in-depth discussions, and a thorough evaluation, it was favorably recommended by the Committee and resolved by the DDB Board under Regulation No.1 Series of 2021 to remove Lianhua Qingwen capsules from the list of dangerous drugs for a period of one (1) year pursuant to section 93 of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. The said DDB Regulation takes effect 15 days after publication, which in this case is March 12, 2021. The effectiveness of the DDB Regulation comes at a time wherein we need all the help we can get to curb the surge and bring it down to more manageable levels.
In the meantime, while awaiting the decision of the FDA on whether they will reclassify it as OTC, Lianhua Qingwen’s current classification is Prescription Drug (Rx)—requiring a doctor’s prescription. Prescription-holding consumers may purchase in all Mercury drug stores nationwide and other drug stores at a suggested retail price of P288.00/box (24 capsules/box).
For more information on Lianhua Qingwen, visit www.philarchipelago.com or call tel. no. (02) 8361-7491 to 98 loc. 844.
To access the press materials, visit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hHHfugzc29up_ZB_WdvXF5YCItrK8n_Q
