Will doctor-pharmacist conflict reignite?

INN prescriptions vs selective dispensing of drugs

Soo Ho Joo advances to a runoff election for KMA president with a pledge to ‘introduce selective dispensing’

May have been influenced by proposed legislations such as enabling International Nonproprietary Names (INN) prescription and generic substitution

‘INN prescription' supporter Young-hee Kwon elected as president of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association

With candidate Joo Soo-ho, who advocates for the selective dispensing of drugs, advancing to the runoff election for the new president of the Korean Medical Association, a potential conflict between the medical community and the pharmaceutical association is expected.

 

In the 43rd presidential election of the Korean Medical Association, which was held on Thursday, candidates Taek-woo Kim (No.1) and Soo-ho Joo (No.3) advanced to the runoff.

 

As neither candidate received a majority of the votes, a runoff election will be held on the 7th and 8th to determine the final winner.

 

The Korean Pharmacists Association is paying close attention to the outcome of this election.

 

Depending on which candidate wins the election, the relationship between the medical association and the pharmacists’ association may change in the future.

 

The current KPA executives, under Kwang-Hoon Choi, have not been at odds with the KMA.

 

The previous KMA executives, led by Pil-Soo Lee, had also a relatively peaceful relationship with Choi’s KPA executives.

 

When Lee stepped down earlier this year, the election of Hyun-Taek Lee, who had been at odds with KPA, created a tense atmosphere, but Lim, who focused on doctor-government conflicts, was eventually impeached and forced to leave his post early.

 

With the KMA holding an early election due to the retirement of the previous president, the timing of the inauguration of the new KPA and KMA coincided, and attention was focused on the change in the tide between Young-hee Kwon’s executives and the new KMA executive.

 

The medical community is wary of Kwon, who has been advocating for the introduction of International Nonproprietary Name prescription during her service as president of the Seoul Pharmaceutical Association.

 

One after another, candidates for the presidency of the Korean Medical Association have voiced their opposition to Kwon's core campaign promise and long-awaited initiative.

 

In particular, candidate Soo-ho Joo, who was selected as a runoff voter in the first round of the election, is noted for his stance against INN prescriptions and the need to introduce a selective dispensing system.

 

“It is unfair for doctors to be held responsible for any accidents that may occur from the pharmacists’ choice of generic drugs from random pharmaceutical companies,” said Joo in a recent position paper, adding, ”The most effective way to minimize public inconvenience and reduce health insurance financial leakage by reducing dispensing fees is the selective dispensing system.” “We need to fix the wrong system and eliminate unsustainable systems.

 

We already know what we need to change: the mandation of long-term care institutions, a single-payer insurance system, and the separation of prescribing and dispensing.

 

We already know what we need to change.

 

Now it's just a matter of taking action.” If Joo is ultimately elected president of the KMA, he is likely to be at odds with the Kwon and her KPA administration.

 

It is also expected to have an impact on the bills currently in the National Assembly related to the activation of generic substitution and INN prescriptions.

 

Currently, there is a bill introduced by Representative Yoon Kim to introduce INN prescribing for drugs with unstable supply and demand, as well as a bill to activate generic substitution by Representative Byung-Deok Min.

 

“As Kwon has presented INN prescription as one of her key pledges for the presidential election, she will have no choice but to speak out and move to promote the policy,” said a pharmaceutical industry insider.

 

”INN prescriptions are unacceptable to the medical community.

 

So if the militant candidate wins the KMA election, he may create a conflict with the KPA in the future.

 

It will be important to see how Kwon can convince the government and the public despite the opposition from the medical community.”