FDA: Senior citizens no longer need purchase booklets for medicine discounts
The Food and Drug Administration has released guidelines for the Department of Health's order that removes the booklet requirement for senior citizens availing of a discount on medicines.
According to FDA Circular No. 2025-005 dated Sept. 4, all establishments must offer a 20% discount and 12% value-added tax exemption to individuals aged 60 and above when purchasing medicines and medical devices approved by the agency without the need for a booklet.
The circular applies to "all FDA-licensed establishments engaged in dispensing medicines and medical devices, including but not limited to pharmaceutical outlets, drugstores, community and institutional pharmacies, boticas, retail outlets for non-prescription drugs, retailers of medical devices, including optical establishments engaged in the sale of the identified products."
Instead, seniors or their representatives may present their senior citizen ID, Philippine passport, and other government-issued documents that indicate the elderly's birthday or age, such as a driver's license, voter's ID, Social Security System/Government Service Insurance System ID, Professional Regulation Commission card, and Postal ID.
For certain medicines, a doctor's prescription must also be presented. It must contain information like the name, age, sex, and address of the senior citizen; date; generic name of the medicine; dosage form; dosage strength; quantity; name, signature, and address of the prescribing physician; professional license number; and S-2 license number, if applicable.
The FDA said it will conduct routine inspections to ensure compliance with its circular.
Establishments that won't honor senior citizen discounts may face penalties stated in Section 7 of Republic Act No. 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.
First violation will lead to imprisonment of two to six years and a fine ranging from P50,000 to P100,000.
Subsequent violation will lead to another imprisonment of two to six years and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P200,000.
An establishment's business permit, permit to operate, and franchise may also be revoked.
Conversely, anyone who abuses senior citizen discount privileges shall be imprisoned for at least six months and given a fine ranging from P50,000 to P10,000.
For erring companies, officials directly involved (president, general manager, managing partner) shall be held liable. An offending foreigner shall be deported immediately after serving his/her sentence.
The FDA circular came months after the DOH, in December 2024, issued Administrative Order No. 2024-0017, which removed the senior citizen booklet requirement stipulated in AO No. 2010-0032.
The now-discontinued booklet is distributed by the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs in a bid to help drug stores monitor the last purchase made for a certain medicine.