REPUBLIC ACT No.

10918

An Act Regulating and Modernizing the Practice of Pharmacy in the Philippines, Repealing for the
Purpose Republic Act Numbered Five Thousand Nine Hundred Twenty-One (R.A. No. 5921), Otherwise
Known as the Pharmacy Law

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress Assembled:

Article I
General Provisions

Section 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Pharmacy Act".

Section 2. Statement of Policy. - The State recognizes the vital role of pharmacists in the delivery of
quality health care services through the provision of safe, effective, and quality pharmaceutical
products, pharmaceutical care, drug information, patient medication counseling, and health promotion.
The pharmacists’ professional services shall, therefore, be promoted as an indispensable component of
the total health care system to ensure the physical well-being of the Filipinos.

Hence, the State shall develop and nurture competent, productive, morally upright, and well-rounded
pharmacists whose standards of professional practice and service shall be excellent and globally
competitive through regulatory measures, programs, and activities that promote and sustain their
continuing professional development.

Section 3. Objectives. - This Act provides for and shall govern the:

(a) Standardization and regulation of pharmacy education;

(b) Administration of licensure examination, registration, and licensing of pharmacists;

(c) Supervision, control, and regulation of the practice of pharmacy in the Philippines;

(d) Development and enhancement of professional competence of pharmacists through continuing

(e) Integration of the pharmacy profession.

Section 4. Scope of the Practice of Pharmacy. - A person is deemed to be practicing pharmacy, within the
meaning of this Act, when with or without a fee, salary, percentage or other rewards, paid or given
directly or indirectly, shall:

(a) Prepare, compound or manufacture, preserve, store, distribute, procure, sell, or dispense, or both,
any pharmaceutical product or its raw materials; or

(b) Render services, such as clinical pharmacy services, drug information services, regulatory services,
pharmaceutical marketing, medication management, or whenever the expertise and technical
knowledge of the pharmacist is required; or

(c) Engage in teaching scientific, technical, or professional pharmacy courses in a school or college of
pharmacy; or (d) Dispense pharmaceutical products in situations where supervision of dispensing of
pharmaceutical products is required; or
(e) Chemical, biological or microbiological analyses and assay of pharmaceutical products, food/dietary
supplements, health supplements, and cosmetics; or

(f) Physico-chemical analyses for medical devices used in aid of administration of pharmaceutical
products; or

(g) Administration of adult vaccines as approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA): Provided, That they shall undergo the training on the safe administration of adult vaccines and
management of adverse event following immunization (AEFI) for pharmacists and hold a certificate of
training issued by an institution duly accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC); Provided, further, That the safe administration of vaccines be part of the higher education
curriculum for pharmacists; or

(h) Conduct or undertake scientific research in all aspects involving pharmaceutical products and health
care; or

(i) Provide other services where pharmaceutical knowledge is required.

Activities under paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (i) are exclusive to licensed pharmacists. However,
nothing herein shall be construed as requiring other persons carrying out only the activities under
paragraphs (e), (f), (g) and (h) to be licensed pharmacists, subject to any qualification that is imposed by
other laws with respect to such particular activity.

All pharmacists are expected to abide by current standards such as the Philippine Practice Standards for
Pharmacists, Good Laboratory Practice, Good Distribution Practice, Good Manufacturing Practice and
Good Clinical Practice, which are deemed vital in the performance of their roles and functions in
different practice areas.

The Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy, hereinafter created, subject to the approval of the PRC,
as provided for by Republic Act No. 8981, otherwise known as the "PRC Modernization Act of 2000", and
in consultation with the integrated and accredited professional organization (APO), may modify the
above-enumerated acts, services, or activities, as the need arises, in order to conform to the latest
trends and developments in the practice of the pharmacy profession: Provided, That such modifications
are consistent with the enumeration above.

Section 5. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:

(a) Accredited professional organization (APO) refers to the duly integrated and accredited professional
organization of registered and licensed pharmacists, of which there shall be only one (1), as prescribed
under Section 41, Article V of this Act;

(b) Adult vaccines refer to cervical cancer, flu (influenza), pneumococcal, other pre-exposure
prophylactic vaccines to be administered to patients aged eighteen (18) years and above, and such other
vaccines as may be defined by the Department of Health (DOH) in an administrative issuance;

(c) Adulterated/Deteriorated pharmaceutical products refer to pharmaceutical products unfit for human
consumption, following the standards of quality or purity of which, are as those stated in the United
States Pharmacopeia/National Formulary and Philippine Pharmacopeia in its latest edition or any
standard reference for drugs and medicines which are given official recognition as well as those
provided for in Republic Act No. 3720, otherwise known as the "Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act", as
amended, and Republic Act No. 9711, known as the "Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009";

(d) Biopharmaceuticals refer to pharmaceutical products that are used for therapeutic or for in vivo
diagnostic purposes, such as vaccines, sera, and drugs derived from life forms using biotechnology.
These include proteins, nucleic acids, or living microorganisms where the virulence is reduced and are
used for therapeutic or for in vivo diagnostic purposes;

(e) Brand name refers to the proprietary name given by the manufacturer to distinguish its product from
those of competitors;

(f) Cipher, Code, or Secret Key refers to a method of secret writing or use of characteristic style or
symbol by substituting other letter/s or character/s for the letter/s intended, for the purpose of
misleading the consumer;

(g) Compounding refers to the sum of processes performed by a pharmacist in drug preparation
including the calculations, mixing, assembling, packaging, or labeling of a drug: (i) as the result of a
prescription or drug order by a physician, dentist, or veterinarian; or (ii) for the purpose of, or in relation
to, research, teaching, or chemical analysis;

(h) Continuing professional development (CPD) refers to the inculcation of advanced knowledge, skills,
and ethical values in a post-licensure specialized or in an inter- or multidisciplinary field of study for
assimilation into professional practice, self-directed research, and/or lifelong learning;

(i) Cosmetics refer to a substance or preparation intended to be placed in contact with the various
external parts of the human body or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, with
a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance and/or
correcting body odor, and/or protecting the body or keeping them in good condition, as defined under
Republic Act No. 9711;

(j) Counterfeit pharmaceutical products refer to pharmaceutical products which do not contain the
amounts as claimed; with wrong ingredients; without active ingredients; or with insufficient quantity of
active ingredients, which result in the reduction of the products’ safety, efficacy, quality, strength, or
purity. These also refer to products that are deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to
identity and/or source or with fake packaging, and can apply to both branded and generic products,
including the following:

(1) The pharmaceutical product itself or the container or labeling thereof or any part of such product,
container, or labeling, bearing without authorization; the trademark, trade name, or other identification
marks or imprints or any likeness to that which is owned or registered in the Intellectual Property Office
(IPO) in the name of another natural or juridical person;

(2) A pharmaceutical product refilled in containers bearing legitimate labels or marks, without authority;
and

(3) A pharmaceutical product which contains no amount of or a different active ingredient; or less than
eighty percent (80%) of the active ingredient it purports to possess, as distinguished from an adulterated
drug including reduction or loss of efficacy due to expiration;
(k) Dangerous drugs refer to those listed in the: (1) Schedules annexed to the 1961 Single Convention on
Narcotic Drugs, as amended by the 1972 Protocol; (2) Schedules annexed to the 1971 Single Convention
on Psychotropic Substances; and (3) Annex of Republic Act No. 9165, otherwise known as the
"Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002", and its amendments;

(l) Dispensing refers to the sum of processes performed by a pharmacist from reading, validating, and
interpreting prescriptions; preparing; packaging; labeling; record keeping; dose calculations; and
counseling or giving information, in relation to the sale or transfer of pharmaceutical products, with or
without a prescription or medication order;

(m) Drugs refer to pharmaceutical products that pertain to chemical compounds or biological
substances, other than food, intended for use in the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of disease in
humans or animals, including the following:

(1) Any article recognized in the official United States Pharmacopeia/National Formulary, Homeopathic
Pharmacopeia of the United States of America, Philippine Pharmacopeia, Philippine National Drug
Formulary, British Pharmacopoeia, European Pharmacopoeia, Japanese Pharmacopoeia, and any official
compendium or any supplement to them;

(2) Any article intended for use in diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease of man
or animals;

(3) Any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the human body or
animals;

(4) Any article intended for use, as a component of articles, specified in clauses (1), (2) and (3), not
including devices or their components, parts and accessories; and

(5) Herbal or traditional drugs as defined in Republic Act No. 9502;

(n) Emergency cases refer to life-threatening situations where a patient needs immediate medical
attention and treatment, including the occurrence of epidemic or natural calamities;

(o) Expiration date refers to the end date when the manufacturer can guarantee that a product
possesses its claimed potency, efficacy, quality, and safety; after which its sale or distribution is
prohibited;

(p) Filling refers to the act of dispensing or providing medicines in accordance with a prescription or
medication order;

(q) Food/Dietary supplements refer to processed food products intended to supplement the diet that
bears or contains one (1) or more of the following dietary ingredients: vitamins, minerals, herbs, or
other botanicals, amino acids, and dietary substances to increase the total daily intake in amounts
conforming to the latest Philippine-recommended energy and nutrient intakes or internationally agreed
minimum daily requirements. It usually is in the form of capsules, tablets, liquids, gels, powders, or pills
and not represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a meal or diet or replacement
of drugs and medicines, as defined under Republic Act No. 9711;
(r) Generic name refers to the scientifically and internationally recognized name of the active
ingredients, as approved by the FDA pursuant to Republic Act No. 6675, otherwise known as the
"Generics Act of 1988";

(s) Health supplement refers to any product that is used to maintain, enhance and improve the healthy
function of the human body and contains one (1) or more or a combination of the following: (1) herbal
fatty adds, enzymes, probiotics, and other bioactive substances; and (2) substances derived from natural
sources, induding animal, plant, mineral, and botanical materials in the form of extracts, isolates,
concentrates, metabolites, synthetic sources of substances mentioned in (1) and (2). It is presented in
dosage forms or in small unit doses such as capsules, tablets, powder, liquids and it shall not include any
sterile preparations (i.e. injectibles, eyedrops);

(t) Household remedies refer to any preparation containing pharmaceutical substances of common or
ordinary use to relieve common physical ailments and which may be dispensed without a medical
prescription in original packages, bottles or containers, of which the nomenclature has been duly
approved by the FDA;

(u) Institutional pharmacies refer to pharmacies of institutions, organizations, and/or corporations that
provide a range of pharmaceutical services, given exclusively to the employees and/or their qualified
dependents;

(v) Internship program refers to a supervised practical experience that is required to be completed for
licensure as a registered pharmacist;

(w) Label refers to a display of written, printed, or graphic matter on the immediate container of any
article;

(x) Labeling materials refer to all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter: (1) upon any item
or any of its containers or wrappers; or (2) accompanying any such item;

(y) Medical device refers to any instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, appliance, implant, in vitro
reagent or calibrator, software, material or other similar or related article intended by the manufacturer
to be used alone, or in combination, for human beings, for one (1) or more of the specific purposes of:
diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment, or alleviation of disease; diagnosis, monitoring, treatment,
or alleviation of or compensation for an injury; investigation, replacement, modification or support of
the anatomy of a physiological process; supporting or sustaining life; preventing infection; control of
conception; disinfection of medical devices; and providing information for medical or diagnostic
purposes by means of in vitro examination of specimens derived from the human body. This device does
not achieve its primary intended action in or on the human body by pharmacological, immunological, or
metabolic means, but which may be assisted in its intended function by such means, as defined under
Republic Act No. 9711;

(z) Medical mission refers to an activity conducted on normal circumstances of an individual or a group
of health care practitioners to provide health services outside the hospital, clinic, and health care facility
premises as differentiated from humanitarian missions and relief operations which is conducted during
emergency situations such as calamity, war, or natural and man-made disasters;
(aa) Medicines refer to drugs in their appropriate dosage forms, with assured quality, safety and efficacy
for humans or animals, or both;

(bb) Medical representative or professional service representative refers to one who represents any
duly authorized manufacturer, distributor, trader, and wholesaler of pharmaceutical products and
whose primary duty is to promote their products to duly licensed health professionals;

(cc) Nontraditional outlets refer to entities licensed by appropriate government agencies to dispense
over-the-counter medicines based on an approved list;

(dd) Online pharmacy services refer to pharmaceutical services of a duly licensed pharmaceutical outlet
done over the internet;

(ee) Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines refer to medicines used for symptomatic relief of minor ailments
and which may be dispensed without a prescription;

(ff) Pharmaceutical establishments refer to entities licensed by appropriate government agencies, and
which are involved in the manufacture, importation, exportation, repacking, and distribution of
pharmaceutical products to pharmaceutical outlets;

(gg) Pharmaceutical manufacturers refer to establishments engaged in any or all operations involved in
the production of pharmaceutical products including the preparation, processing, compounding,
formulating, filling, packaging, repackaging, altering, ornamenting, finishing and labeling, preparatory to
their storage, sale, or distribution, except the compounding and filling of prescriptions in pharmaceutical
outlets;

(hh) Pharmaceutical marketing refers to any activity undertaken, organized, or sponsored by a

(ii) Pharmaceutical outlets refer to entities licensed by appropriate government agencies, and which are
involved in compounding and/or dispensing and selling of pharmaceutical products directly to patients
or end-users;

(jj) Pharmaceutical products refer to drugs, medicines, biologicals, pharmaceutical and

(kk) Pharmacist refers to a health professional who has been registered and issued a valid Certificate of
Registration (COR) and Professional Identification Card (PIC) by the PRC and the Professional Regulatory
Board of Pharmacy;

(ll) Pharmacist-only OTC medicines refer to over-the-counter medicines classified by appropriate

(mm) Pharmacy aides refer to persons who assist the pharmacists in the different aspects of pharmacy
operation based on established standard operating procedures and processes, with very minimal degree
of independence or decision making and without direct interaction with patients:
(nn) Pharmacy assistants refer to persons who assist the pharmacists in different aspects of pharmacy
operation based on established standard operating procedures and processes, with a minimum degree
of independence or decision making and may have supervised interaction with patients;

(oo) Pharmacy technicians refer to persons who assist in compounding and dispensing of medicines in
community, hospital, institutional and industrial settings or engaged in other activities under the
supervision of the pharmacist as described in Section 39, Article IV of this Act;

(pp) Philippine Practice Standards for Pharmacists refer to the established national framework for
quality standards and guidelines of the practice of pharmacy that respond to the needs of the people
who require the pharmacists’ services to provide optimal, evidence-based care as formulated by the
integrated APO and approved by the Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy;

(qq) Physician’s samples refer to medicines given to health professionals for promotional purposes only;

(rr) Prescription/Ethical medicines refer to medicines which can only be dispensed by a pharmacist to a
patient, upon the presentation of a valid prescription from a physician, dentist, or veterinarian and for
which a pharmacist’s advice is necessary;

(ss) Refilling of a prescription refers to the act of dispensing the remaining balance of medicines ordered
in the prescription;

(tt) Referral refers to the process wherein a pharmacist provides consultative services and conducts
preliminary assessment of symptoms and refers the patient to a physician or other health care
professional;

(uu) Referral registry refers to the record book maintained by pharmacists, listing the patients referred
to different health facilities for further diagnosis;

(vv) Refresher program refers to a prescribed study program in an accredited school of pharmacy; and

(ww) Telepharmacy services refer to pharmaceutical services of a duly licensed pharmaceutical outlet
done through the use of telephone, teleconferencing, or facsimile.

Article II
The Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy

Section 6. Creation of the Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy. - There is hereby created a
Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy, hereinafter called the Board, under the administrative
control and supervision of the PRC, to be composed of a Chairperson and two (2) members, to be
appointed by the President of the Philippines from a list of three (3) recommendees for each position
ranked in the order of preference and submitted by the PRC from a list of five (5) nominees submitted
for each position by the duly integrated APO of pharmacists.

Section 7. Qualifications of the Chairperson and Members of the Board. - The Chairperson and members
of the Board, at the time of nomination, must:

(a) Be a citizen of the Philippines and a resident for at least five (5) years;

(b) Be a duly registered and licensed pharmacist in the Philippines, preferably a holder of a masteral
degree in Pharmacy, or its equivalent;
(c) Have been in the active practice of pharmacy for the past ten (10) years;

(d) Have not been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude;

(e) Be a member in good standing of the APO for at least five (5) years, but not an officer or trustee
thereof; and

(f) At the time of appointment, must neither be a member of the faculty nor an administrative officer of
any school, college or university offering degree programs in pharmacy nor has any direct or indirect
pecuniary interest or connection in any review center or similar institution.

Section 8. Powers, Functions, and Responsibilities of the Board. - The Board shall exercise the following
powers, functions, and responsibilities:

(a) Administer and implement the provisions of this Act;

(b) Promulgate rules and regulations, administrative orders, and issuances necessary to carry out the
provisions of this Act;

(c) Prepare licensure examination questions, score, and rate the examinations and submit the results
thereof to the PRC. The Board shall prepare, adopt, issue, or amend the syllabi or tables of specifications
of the subjects in the licensure examination, in consultation with the academe and the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED);

(d) Recommend the issuance, suspension, revocation, or reinstatement of the COR, PIC or
Special/Temporary Permits (STP) for the practice of pharmacy;

(e) Administer oaths in accordance with the provisions of this Act;

(f) Regulate and monitor the practice of pharmacy in the Philippines, including the practice of
subprofessional services such as pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants, aides, and other medicine
handlers, as described in this Act; adopt measures that may be deemed proper for the enhancement of
the profession and the maintenance of high professional, academic, ethical, and technical standards;
and conduct ocular inspection of pharmaceutical establishments and higher education institutions
(HEIs), in coordination with concerned government agencies;

(g) Promulgate and prescribe the Pharmacists’ Code of Ethics, Code of Technical Standards and
Guidelines for the Professional Practice of the Pharmacy Profession, in coordination with the APO;

(h) Represent the pharmacy profession in all fora involving concerns and issues related to
pharmaceutical products and the practice of pharmacy;

(i) Investigate cases arising from violations of this Act, the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant
thereto, the Pharmacists’ Code of Ethics, Code of Technical Standards and Guidelines for the
Professional Practice of the Pharmacy Profession, and other Board issuances; issue summons, subpoena
ad testificandum and subpoena duces tecum to secure the attendance of witnesses or production of
documents, or both, and other evidence necessary for such investigation or hearing; and render decision
thereon which shall, unless appealed to the PRC, become final and executory after fifteen (15) days from
receipt of notice of judgment or decision;
(j) Delegate the he aring or investigation of administrative cases filed before the Board, except where
the issue or question involves the practice of the profession, in which case, the hearing shall be presided
over by at least one (1) member of the Board, to be assisted by a Legal or Hearing Officer of the PRC;

(k) Conduct, through the Legal Officers of the PRC, summary proceedings on minor violations of this Act,
the General Instruction to the Examinees, including the implementing rules and regulations issued by
the Board, and to render summary judgment thereon which shall, unless appealed to the PRC, become
final and executory after fifteen (15) days from receipt of notice of judgment or decision;

(l) Issue and promulgate guidelines on CPD, in coordination with the APO;

(m) Recommend the accreditation of the standardized training programs for and certifications of
medical representatives or professional service representatives, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy
assistants, pharmacy aides and other medicine handlers covered in Section 39, Article IV of this Act. The
Board shall promulgate the criteria and guidelines in the accreditation of training programs and
certifications as described above, in coordination with the APO and with other concerned government
agencies;

(n) Accredit Specialty Boards of Pharmacy based on the criteria that it shall establish and prescribe; and

(o) Perform and discharge such other functions and responsibilities, as may be deemed implied,
incidental, and necessary, to preserve the integrity of the pharmacy licensure examination and to
enhance and upgrade the practice of the pharmacy profession in the country.

Section 9. Term of Office of the Members of the Board. - The Chairperson and members of the Board
shall hold office for a term of three (3) years from the date of appointment or until their successors shall
have been qualified and appointed. They may be reappointed in the same office for another term of
three (3) years immediately after the expiry of their term; Provided, That no member of the Board shall
hold office for more than two (2) terms or not more than six (6) years; Provided, further, That the first
Board appointed under this Act shall hold these terms cf office: the Chairperson for three (3) years, the
first member for two (2) years, and the second member for one (1) year; Provided, finally, That an
appointee to a vacancy shall serve only the unexpired portion of the term of office. The Chairperson and
members of the Board shall duly take their oath of office before a duly authorized officer.

Section 10. Compensation and Allowances of the Board. - The Chairperson and members of the Board
shall receive compensation and allowances comparable to the compensation and allowances received
by the members of the other existing professional regulatory boards under the PRC, as provided for in
the General Appropriations Act.

Section 11. Grounds for Suspension or Removal from Office of the Chairperson or Member of the Board. -
The President of the Philippines may, upon recommendation of the PRC and after due process, suspend
or remove the Chairperson or any member of the Board on any of the following grounds:

(a) Gross neglect, incompetence, or dishonesty in the discharge of duty;

(b) Involvement in the manipulation, tampering, or rigging of the licensure examination, its questions or
results, or both, and in the disclosure of classified and confidential information pertaining to the
licensure examination;
(c) Conviction of an offense involving moral turpitude by a court of competent jurisdiction; and

(d) Unprofessional, unethical, immoral, or dishonorable conduct.

The PRC, in the conduct of investigation, shall be guided by Sections 7 and 15 of Republic Act No. 8981,
the existing rules on administrative investigation, and the Rules of Court.

Section 12. Custodian of its Records, Secretariat and Support Services. - All records of the Board,
pertaining to the applications for examinations, administrative and other investigative hearings
conducted by the Board, shall be under the custody of the PRC. The PRC shall designate a Secretary who
shall provide the Board with secretariat and other support services to implement the provisions of this
Act.