Saxenda's misuse and abuse are discussed

In favor of strengthening patient education, there is a disagreement about who is the subject.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, sooner or later, will draw final draft

Self-injecting agent used for the purpose of weight loss

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to release and disclose self-injection system safety management measures such as 'Saxenda', which has recently increased in sales volume as a weight management supplement.

 

However, in the course of the discussion, there was still a large difference in opinion between doctors and pharmacists.

 

Patients do not abuse, and agree to strengthen education to use properly, and disagreements have emerged among educational subjects..

 

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is unlikely to be a government agency that can determine the number of divisions or increases in the discussion process, so it is expected to draw a final focus on strengthening patient education.

 

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDA) plans to deliberate and write a consultation on the adequacy and validity of the measures to support the safe use of biopharmaceutical self-injection drugs from the 30th to April 3rd.

 

Through this, the policy is to prepare a final draft.

 

Previously, Minutes of the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council held in January were also released.

 

Specialists representing representatives of doctors and pharmacists and experts from consumer organizations also attended the meeting.

 

At the meeting, it was said that they agreed to the direction of measures to support the safe use of self-injection drugs.

 

The main content is strengthening education such as directions.

 

However, there was a disagreement between the representatives of physicians and pharmacists over the subject of education.

 

A doctors' group official argued that the hospital should be the center of education, while a pharmacist's group said that the pharmacy should be the educational subject.

 

As pharmacies strengthened their education, it was also suggested that fundamental problems, such as mandatory outpatient’s prescription of self-injection and increase in pharmaceutical charge, should also be considered.

 

Another opinion is that patients should be trained in the hospital for initial treatment and in the pharmacy during continuous treatment.

 

In the end, they all acknowledged the need to strengthen education so that patients could use self-injection.

 

However, there is a slight disagreement over the subject of education because the self-injection system is an exception in the current system of separation of prescribing and dispensing drugs, 'Getting treatment to doctors, dispense to pharmacists'.

 

Saxenda is an injection, but because it can be used by patients outside the hospital, it is also sold in hospitals and in pharmacies.

 

Moreover, as it is used for cosmetic purposes such as weight loss, side effects caused by misuse have also been raised.

 

In the last year's parliamentary assembly, the issue was raised, and there was also an opinion that self-injection prescriptions should be mandatory for outpatient’s prescription.

 

Accordingly, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced that it will prepare measures for abuse and correct use of patients.

 

An official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said, "We are looking for ways to focus on strengthening education within a framework that can be used correctly without abuse by the patient, and plan to make a final plan in the near future through expert opinion".

 

The MFDS is expected to come up with a plan to strengthen video education and practice education with usage, expand public awareness of misuse, strengthen crackdown on illegal advertising violations, and check illegal distribution.

 

However, It is clear that the mandatory outpatient prescription (separation of prescribing and dispensing drugs) and the increase in pharmaceutical charge are not included in the management of the MFDS.

 

In the end, even if the Ministry of Food and Drug Affairs comes out, it is expected that the conflict between physicians and pharmacists will continue despite the subject of sales and guidance of self-injection.