Riyadh — Saudi Health Ministry has asked doctors to prescribe drugs with their generic (scientific) name and not insist on any brand name.
It announced on Tuesday that the patients have the right to buy prescribe generic (scientific name) medicine.
The ministry’s confirmation revealed an infographic showing the difference between the drug with the scientific name and the drug with the brand name.
It emphasized that there is no difference between them regarding the active substance. The only difference is the price.
Additionally, the ministry has stated that patients have the right not to be obligated to buy drugs from a specific pharmacy.
Recommended: A review of the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia
They, the ministry said, also have the right to ask the pharmacist about all the drug options they have and are available in the pharmacy.
It stated that the patients have the right to ask the doctor to write the scientific name of the drug to facilitate the search process and to raise its availability in pharmacies.
The scientific name of the drug helps and allows the patients to buy medicine from any company that manufactures similar drugs under different names.
The ministry asked the patients to contact them at 937 if they noticed that the doctor had written the drug with its brand name.
