Legislation of restricted INN Prescriptions gain momentum

Medical community plans protest against government and national assembly

Seoul Medical Association to hold rally opposing institutionalization

Democratic Party of Korea and Rebuilding Korea Party Lawmakers to host policy forum with pharmacists

With the ruling party accelerating legislation of “restricted international nonproprietary name (INN) prescriptions,” which was one of President Jae-myung Lee’s campaign pledges, the medical community is showing visible unease.

 

Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers In-soon Nam, Young-seok Seo, Yoon Kim, and Jong-tae Jang, along with Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Sun-min Kim, announced that they will host a policy forum on September 30 at the National Assembly under the theme “Introducing a Korean Model for INN Prescriptions.” In response, doctors’ associations have directly talked with Rep.

 

Joo-min Park, chair of the NA Health and Welfare Committee, and are planning a protest rally.

 

On the 24th, the Seoul Medical Association said it would hold a “Seoul Medical Association Representatives’ Rally Against INN Prescriptions” on September 26 at 7:30 a.m.

 

at its headquarters.

 

Participants will include the members of its executive board, auditors, the council’s steering committee, and presidents and executives of local medical associations.

 

The day before, the Seoul Medical Association President Kyu-Seok Hwang visited NA Health and Welfare Committee Chair Joo-min Park's office on the 23rd for a meeting and conveyed their position on how the INN-based prescription policy threatens the sustainability of primary care.

 

Doctors argue that since generic substitution is already legally guaranteed, further mandating INN prescriptions would jeopardize patient safety and undermine the foundation of Korea’s doctor-pharmacist separation system.

 

They also contended that trying to address drug supply shortages through INN prescriptions is not a fundamental solution, and that the clause stipulating penalties of up to 1 year imprisonment or fines up to KRW 10 million is excessive.

 

Nonetheless, the ruling party maintains the position that legislation is inevitable to resolve the harm to patients caused by shortages of essential and unstable supply of medicines.

 

The lawmakers co-hosting the INN prescription forum with the Korean Pharmaceutical Association and the Korea Institute for Pharmaceutical Policy Affairs include not only pharmacist-turned-lawmaker Young-Seok Seo but also physician-turned-lawmakers Yoon Kim and Sun-min Kim, indicating broad support on the need for its institutionalization.

 

The ruling party lawmakers recognize that the bill on restricted INN prescribing (led by Representative Jong-tae Jang), which is currently pending in the National Assembly, is far removed from undermining the intent of the separation of medical and pharmaceutical practices or threatening patient safety.

 

This is because the bill proposes establishing a ‘Supply Management Committee for Medicines with Unstable Supply’ under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, involving both pharmacists and doctors, to designate out-of-stock drugs and permit generic prescribing only for those designated drugs.

 

Lawmakers argue that legislation on restricted INN prescriptions must focus on easing patient inconvenience and improving access to medicines, rather than fueling conflicts over professional boundaries between doctors and pharmacists.

 

A ruling party official said, “The restricted INN prescription bill should prioritize the public over doctors and pharmacists.

 

The bill establishes a new committee to designate medicines with supply shortages subject to INN prescribing, and institutionalizes a management system requiring pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, pharmacies, and physicians to submit information on such shortages.

 

The goal is to resolve the long-standing inconvenience faced by the public.”