DP·gov't "INN prescriptions for supply shortage drugs"

"Not a dispute over interests between doctors and pharmacists…we must consider patient's choice"

Pharmacists, civil groups, and medical workers' union say, "International Nonproprietary Name (INN) prescriptions should be introduced on the premise to resolve patients' limited access to info"

A public forum was held in the National Assembly to discuss the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) prescriptions.

 

Civic groups, pharmacists, and healthcare experts have unanimously agreed that the government should consider implementing the system if it enhances patient choice and reduces national spending.

 

The policy debate, titled 'Introduction of a Korean Model of International Nonproprietary Name (INN) prescriptions to Expand the Public's Choice of Dispensed Medicines,' took place at the National Assembly on September 30.

 

The event was hosted by Democratic Party of Korea Representatives In-soon Nam, Young-seok Seo, Yoon Kim, and Jong-tae Jang, as well as Cho Kuk Innovation Party Representative Sun-min Kim.

 

The Korean Pharmaceutical Association and the Research Institute for Pharmaceutical Policy also hosted it.

 

The panelists agreed that the INN prescriptions should not be viewed merely as a dispute over vested interests between doctors and pharmacists.

 

The priority, they stressed, should be identifying the system that best benefits patients, who are insurance subscribers, by increasing their right to choose medication, and the government should design the system accordingly.

 

The governing parties and the government, who are the proponents of the system's introduction, stated that they agree on the necessity of the system for drugs with unstable supply and are currently pursuing it.

 

However, they presented the prerequisite that public consensus on the need for the system must be formed first.

 

Taek-woo Kim, President of the Korean Medical Association, conducted a solo demonstration directly outside the National Assembly gate to protest the introduction of INN prescriptions

At the same time, the debate was being held inside the National Assembly, Taek-woo Kim, President of the Korean Medical Association, conducted a solo demonstration directly outside the National Assembly gate to protest the introduction of INN prescriptions, drawing attention.

 

"Will Enhance Patient Choice and Fiscal Savings…The Best System Helps Patients"

Sung-min Park, an associate professor at Seoul National University

It was emphasized at the forum that the need to discuss INN prescriptions from the perspective of patient safety and the expansion of patient choice.

 

Sung-min Park, an associate professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health, said, "Brand-based drug labeling increases the risk of confusion and errors during prescribing, dispensing, and administration." He added, "There is a risk of prescribing and dispensing mistakes due to confusion with similar names.

 

Patients also face a higher risk of mistakenly taking the wrong drug." Professor Park said, "When patients with multiple illnesses receive prescriptions from various medical institutions, there is a high possibility of being prescribed the same drug ingredient redundantly," and added, "If patients are unaware of the ingredients, they are more likely to overdose, and discarded unused drugs lead to unnecessary expenditure of National Health Insurance funds."

Sun-Young Oh, Director of Policy at the Korean Health and Medical Workers

Sun-Young Oh, Director of Policy at the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union, emphasized, "The expected effect of introducing INN prescriptions is granting patients, as subscribers to the National Health Insurance, the right to choose their medication." She asserted, "Patients lack specialized knowledge about medicine compared to doctors and pharmacists.

 

Creating an environment where patients can make choices must be prioritized.

 

Furthermore, the system must be premised on the therapeutic equivalence of generics so that patients are not anxious about their choices." Oh also said, "Encouraging patient participation in and choice over the medication they take is the desirable direction for this system," adding, "It also has the advantage of reducing dependence on brand names, which is currently very high." "Not a dispute over interests between doctors and pharmacists… Key to Completing Separation of Prescribing and Dispensing" Kwang-min Lee, Vice President of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, argued that the current brand-name prescribing practice prevents the fundamental intent of the Separation of Prescribing and Dispensing System from being realized.

 

Kwang-min Lee, Vice President of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association

Lee stated that despite the government implementing policies such as deleting the prescription fee item from doctors' service fees and using a market-based actual transaction price reimbursement system for reimbursable drugs, these policies are rendered ineffective by brand-name prescribing.

 

Furthermore, Lee also pointed out that brand-name prescribing directly influences prescribing behavior and healthcare utilization, citing the tendency for self-injectable drugs, such as obesity injections, to be dispensed directly by hospitals.

 

Lee directly criticized the link between brand-name prescribing and illegal business practices by pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, and CSOs, arguing that it leads to the misuse and abuse of medications.

 

Lee said, "If INN prescriptions become implemented, patients will be able to conveniently receive dispensing services at pharmacies near their homes or workplaces, not just those near medical institutions." He added, "Even patients using multiple institutions for multiple illnesses can receive unified dispensing and medication guidance services from their regular pharmacy, rather than relying on pharmacies near each institution.

 

This will also have the effect of reducing unnecessary drug use."

Nam Eun-kyung

Lee added, "In Korea, where alarms are sounding over the worsening financial health of the National Health Insurance, a system is needed to promote the use of cost-effective medicines during the prescribing and dispensing stages," and emphasized, "Generic prescribing should not be dismissed as merely a dispute over pharmacists' and doctors' interests; it must be designed with the public at the center to ensure the stability and sustainability of the domestic public health finances." A criticism was also raised that the government needs to take a clear stance on the doctors' argument against INN prescriptions that "even drugs with the same ingredients may differ in efficacy depending on the formulation (release mechanism, dosage form, excipients, etc.)." Nam Eun-kyung pointed out, "The government must clearly draw the line on the controversy over whether generics are different drugs or identical ones.

 

By not formalizing its position, the government is causing unnecessary social conflict." Nam added, "Provided that safety and efficacy are not compromised, the public will agree to a policy that can save NHI funds.

 

I understand that both the Democratic Party and the government are willing to put INN prescriptions on the public agenda.

 

I hope a forum for public discussion involving doctors, pharmacists, and the public can be arranged." "INN prescriptions limited to supply shortage drugs still under discussion"…what do the governing party and government plan? What are the opinions of the National Assembly and the government regarding the highly debated INN prescriptions?

 

Rep.

 

Won-joon Cho, Senior Expert Member for Health and Welfare at the Democratic Party of Korea

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the administrative ministry, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, both agreed on the necessity of introducing the system limited to supply shortage drugs.

 

However, they drew a clear line, stating that widespread adoption of the system would require prior public consensus.

 

Rep.

 

Won-joon Cho, Senior Expert Member for Health and Welfare at the Democratic Party of Korea, explained, "The Tylenol shortage was one of the three major crises after COVID-19.

 

Even in the National Assembly, there was an internal discussion about the need for INN prescriptions for a certain period, given the special circumstances of the pandemic, but it was not pursued," and added, "At that time, the burden of opposition from the medical community could not be overcome.

 

It is from this perspective that a limited INN prescriptions was included in the Democratic Party's last presidential election pledge." Rep.

 

Cho said, "Bills related to INN prescriptions are being introduced, and the National Assembly has plans to discuss institutional improvements and legal amendments." He added, "Various policy measures are being proposed to resolve drug supply instability in addition to the limited introduction of INN prescriptions.

 

All these policy measures must be mobilized to resolve the recurring problem of drug supply instability as much as possible."

Jun-hyuk Kang, Director of the Pharmaceutical Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare

Furthermore, Cho added, "However, for the system to be introduced, it must be clearly explained how it will help the public." He concluded, "I believe the system's introduction can gain momentum when public consensus on its rationality and sustainability is formed." Jun-hyuk Kang, Director of the Pharmaceutical Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The government is viewing INN prescriptions from the perspective of the public's drug accessibility." He added, "While Korea has many pharmacies per capita, some administrative districts lack pharmacies, and the issue of drug accessibility has been raised due to unstable drug supply.

 

INN prescriptions is one of the alternatives being discussed to resolve this." Kang said, "It is undesirable that this issue is being highlighted as a conflict between doctors and pharmacists," and added, "Doctors, pharmacists, and the public must discuss this to find a common ground." He concluded, "The government is preparing measures to simplify alternative dispensing and introduce INN prescriptions limited to supply shortage drugs.

 

It seems necessary to conduct specific research on how to introduce INN prescriptions for supply shortage drugs.

 

We understand that foreign countries encourage this through various methods, not necessarily mandating it.

 

We also intend to review these aspects.