Where can I buy Felodipine 10gm generic in Thailand?d?

[Vatman]

Can anyone tell me where in Thailand I can buy Felodipine 10mg generic?

For the past 12 years my pharmacist in Thailand has been supplying me with my blood pressure medication, Plendil 10mg (Felodipine),  manufactured by Astra Zeneca & imported from Sweden, My pharmacist charges me 1000 Bt for 30 tabs, minimum order 90 tabs. I`ve asked my pharmacist for the generic Felodipine 10mg which I know is manufactured here in Thailand but she says `no can do`. If it`s manufactured here it must be available.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Sheryl]

Where in Thailand do you live? And what pharmacy have you been using?

 

And are you taking regular Pendil or Plendil ER (extended release)?

 

There are 3 different generic brands in Thailand as follows:

 

Felopine - comes only in 5 mg but you just take 10, no problem

Feloten - comes in both 5 and 10 mg but only XR (extended release)

Topodil - 5 mg sustained release only

 

So if what you take is regular Plendil 10 mg it is true that there is no locally made exact equivalent but you could simply take 2 tabs of Felopine 5. It is made and distributed by Berlin Pharma.

 

 

[Vatman]

I take Plendil 10mg ER (extended release). The Feloten 10mg XR fits the bill I think. The pharmacy I use is in Phetchabun town- I live a little way outside but other pharmacies I`ve tried in Phetchabun were dismissive.

If I can buy Feloten 10mg in Bangkok I`d be happy to travel.

[Puccini]

A pharmacy may not stock a product because of low demand. You could call or email Berlin Pharma, explain your difficulties in finding their Feloten in Phetchabun, and ask if they can give you the name and address of a pharmacy in Amphoe Muang in Phetchabun to whom they supply this product.

 

[Sheryl]

As above, contact the manufacturer/distributor (Berlin Pharma).

 

If you are willing to buy say 6-12 month supply in advance they might be willing to sell to you directly, which is of course less expensive than buying from a pharmacy as you get the wholesale price, the savings would probably pay for a trip to Bangkok. So ask them about this. You may need to have a Thai speaker call. While you can try an email most companies seem not to reply, at least not to emails in English.

 

You might also try to get your pharmacist to order it by guaranteeing to buy X quantity. It is really nto that hard for them to do as they are likely already getting deliveries from the same company. Give him/her the exact name of the drug (Feloten XR 10 mg) and details of the company (Berlin Pharma, as above) along with the quantity you are willing to buy. Be sure to have this discussion with the actual pharmacy proprietor and not a shop assistant.

 

Another option to consider would be to ask your doctor about a possible switch to amlodopine, which is the same class of drug and much easier to find in generic equivalent and less expensive.  It is at least as, if not more, effect as fenlodopine and much more commonly used in Thailand.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9657628

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7783110

 

 

[Vatman]

Thank you for the information. I emailed Berlin Pharma at- [email protected] as soon as I read Puccini`s post- I was waiting on a reply before posting again but I received a message from Gmail 24 hours later saying -`Delivery Incomplete` -`Mailbox has exceeded the limit`. They don`t read their emails? I`ll have to phone them Monday.

From reading the Pubmed reports I like the sound of Amlodopine but although I self medicate for most things I hesitate to change my B/P medication. I don`t have a doctor- we have one government & 2 private hospitals in Phetchabun & that`s where the doctors are. The doctors I`ve seen on my 2 visits to one of the private hospitals on unrelated matters did not instill a great deal of confidence as I needed my wife as interpreter- neither doctor understood English & my Thai is not good enough for medical matters (or much else).

I`ll see what Berlin Pharma says tomorrow.

Thank you Sheryl & Puccini for your replies. Much appreciated.

 

[Vatman]

My village pharmacy sells Amlodipine 10mg - 280Bt for 100 tabs- manufactured by Berlin Pharma (the company that neither answers emails nor phone calls). That is only 8% of the price I pay for Felodipine so I will change.