By Lee Hyo-sik
People will be able to buy 48 non-prescription drugs such as digestive drinks and antiseptic lotions at supermarkets and convenience stores, beginning Thursday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday.
Currently, these and other over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are only available at pharmacies. But the government has decided to allow these 48 relatively safe OTC drugs to be sold outside pharmacies to improve consumer access to widely-used medicines in case of an emergency.
The health ministry posted and announced the change on its state bulletin, Wednesday, making it possible for the sale of the drugs at retail stores, without having to revise the law banning the sale of OTC medicines outside pharmacies.
“Members of the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council have been engaged in a series of intense discussions over the past few months on how many and what types of OTC medicines should be available at supermarkets and other retail shops,” a ministry official said.
“On July 1, the council selected a list of 48 medicines. Following the change in the state bulletin, the drugs will be sold outside pharmacies from Thursday.”
Health ministry officials held a meeting Tuesday with representatives of 16 pharmaceutical companies that produce the 48 drugs to seek their cooperation. A day earlier, the officials also talked with representatives of supermarket and convenience store associations, asking them to make all the necessary arrangements for the sales.
Civic groups have demanded for years that common drugs be sold outside pharmacies to resolve customer inconvenience stemming from closures of pharmacies at night and during holidays.
But no major changes have been made due to strong opposition from pharmacists and other interest groups.
Last month, the health ministry had initially decided to maintain the status quo, making the proposed-OTC drugs only available at pharmacies.
But it changed its stance following President Lee Myung-bak’s remarks that widely-used, relatively-safe drugs should be sold outside pharmacies to boost consumer convenience.