So Good, So Fast–So Is the Information?

Having discussed about the situation of No Approved Therapeutic Claims in the provinces, especially when it comes to the rural folks, I would like to turn into something that I am somehow familiar with. Janette Toral mentioned in her blog about a particular pain killer drug brand called Saridon, which is popular in Visayas and Mindanao areas. I’m familiar with it, due to the fact that it is being advertised in Iloilo and Cebu, my two base camps in the Visayan region. I can still remember a commercial of it not so long ago. “So good, so fast!”—that was the slogan of the said medicine. The TV advertisement was frequently played in both Iloilo and Cebu. However, it is indeed “so fast” because it only lasts, I guess 15-seconds. It describes it as a very fast pain reliever for different sorts of people, from firefighters to teachers and others. However, one thing I noticed though, the broadcast seems to be localized, that when I came to Metro Manila and even the neighboring Tagalog provinces, the drug seems to hit most of its 18 million inhabitants!

I am aware that some companies tend to localize their products to specific regions, like a fabric conditioner back then was only available in Davao area. This may probably because they wanted to take their product to the test on how would it gain acceptance to the public. In case of Saridon, indeed it was localized. If you may ask what Saridon is, according to Wikipedia, Saridon is an analgesic (or pain killer) that was first introduced in the 1930s. Furthermore, it is known to stop pain faster.

However, I’ve encountered a blog post by Ducky Paredes regarding the ill-effects of the said drug. According to the blog post, it has a history of a threatening active ingredient that raised some eyebrows and concerns coming from international health authorities, including US FDA and the World Health Organization, due to its possible carcinogenic effect to the people. Because of the conclusion, the manufacturer then reformulated the said drug to meet up the safety health standards. It was again reintroduced to the market, however here in the Philippines–it is only “visibly marketed” in Visayas and Mindanao. That again, it is safer and better than the old ones.

In this juncture, it is best to say that manufacturers should openly advertise their products and put more information, online or through traditional media. The lack of access to information can prove fatal to the decisions of the consumers. For BFAD or DOH, they should at least try to enforce more “police power” on the proliferation of medicine and putting up information–whether commercial or alternative.