By Kim Tae-jong
The sale of painkillers and cold medicines at supermarkets has been prohibited as lawmakers decided not to submit the necessary bill to the National Assembly.
The majority of the members from the Welfare and Health Committee of the assembly ― both ruling and opposition lawmakers alike ― agreed to deny the bill, citing concerns over drug abuse and side effects.
Siding with pharmacists, they turned a deaf ear to people’s demands. The amendment to the pharmacy law was designed to allow the sale of Tylenol as well as other over-the-counter medicines at places other than pharmacies. It has been supported by most people and received approval at a Cabinet meeting last September.
Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the ruling Grand National Party and Rep. Joo Seung-yong of the main opposition Democratic Party, agreed not to handle the bill during the plenary session scheduled for Monday.
“We came to the agreement as we think the government’s decision to allow the sale of medicines at retail stores was made in a hasty manner and there should be more research to confirm it will not harmfully impact people’s health,” Joo said.
Civic groups are condemning lawmakers for failing to amend the law.
“More than 80 percent of the people have long wanted to buy non-prescription medicines at supermarkets. Lawmakers continue to ignore their calls and instead took the side of the pharmacists,” said Nam Eun-kyung, an official of the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ).
In protest, the CCEJ has delivered a collection of some 3,500 people’s signatures to the head of the Health and Welfare Committee, demanding lawmakers pass the bill.
The revision was originally proposed as part of efforts to ease accessibility as most pharmacies close at night and during holidays. A law revision is necessary for the sale of other over-the-counter (OTC) drugs such as painkillers and cold medicines, because they cannot be simply categorized as “quasi-drugs” due to safety concerns.
The bill plans to create a new category of non-prescription drugs that are comparatively safe and can be used for mild symptoms.
Recent surveys also show the majority of people want the passage of the bill. According to a survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs last month, over 83 percent of respondents said they support the sale of household medicines at places other than pharmacies.
Medical doctors have also called for the passage of the bill.
“The safety concerns are not a problem in terms of medical aspects. The bill should not be ditched on such groundless reasons,” said Lee Jae-ho, an official from the Korean Medical Association (KMA).
Tylenol can be toxic for the liver but following the instructions on the container would prevent side effects. “About 0.2 billion Tylenol tablets are sold annually, but there were only 549 reports of side effects, which is only 0.000027 percent,” he said.