Policy
PSA: Purchase Booklets Are No Longer Required for Seniors to Get Medicine Discounts
The FDA has officially removed the booklet from the requirements list.
Published on Sep 5, 2025
(SPOT.ph) Senior citizens no longer need
to present their purchase booklets to get a 20% discount (plus VAT exemption) on
medicines and medical devices.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made it official in Circular No. 2025-005 issued on September 4, which officially removed the booklet from the list of requirements.
From now on, seniors—or their representatives—only need to show proof of age and citizenship to claim the discount. This can be their Senior Citizens’ ID issued by the local Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), a Philippine passport, or any other valid government-issued ID that establishes they are Filipino and at least 60 years old. Acceptable IDs include a driver’s license, voter’s ID, SSS or GSIS card, PRC card, or postal ID, among others.
A doctor’s prescription is also required if the medicine they’re buying is prescription-only. To be valid, the prescription must be issued in the senior citizen’s name and signed by a licensed doctor.
Not quite a new policy
The booklet was first introduced as a way to track purchases and prevent abuse of discounts. In practice, though, it became more of a hassle than a safeguard. Forgetting the booklet at home often meant seniors walked away without the discount, even with proper identification.
This led to the Department of Health (DOH) scrapping the requirement back in December 2024, under Administrative Order No. 2024-0017. The FDA's latest circular serves as a reiteration to ensure no establishment slips back into old practices, making the process easier for seniors once and for all.
Now all FDA-licensed outlets—including pharmacies, community drugstores, hospital pharmacies, boticas, and even medical device retailers—are required to honor this policy without exception. If they refuse, they’re looking at big penalties under Republic Act No. 9994: fines of up to P200,000, jail time of two to six years, and even revocation of their business permits.
Micah believes that writing is always political. Beyond the byline, you’ll find her bruising herself in a pole studio or napping with her beagle. Reach her at micah@spot.ph.
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