Doctors "If INN prescribing is enforced, will boycott the SPD"

'Korean Medical Association (KMA) Special Committee for public health promotion' rally in front of the National Assembly building

"We (doctors) will launch a movement to prescribe only original drugs solely for the benefit of the people"

Doctors who took to the National Assembly to protest the promotion of International Nonproprietary Name (INN) prescribing legislation have said they will go as far as a total boycott of the Separation of Prescribing and Dispensing (SPD) system if the bill is enforced.

On the 11th at 4:00 PM, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) Special Committee for public health promotion held a rally in front of the National Assembly Main Building in Yeouido to block the INN prescribing legislation.

The doctors gathered at the National Assembly held pickets reading "Will Declare SPD System Annulment if INN Prescribing is Enforced" and demanded an immediate halt to the legislative process.

At the scene, Kim Taek-woo, KMA president, emphasized, "INN prescribing is not merely about selecting a chemical component. It is a highly sophisticated professional medical act performed after considering the patient's comprehensive condition. This irrational bill, which prioritizes pharmacy inventory over patient needs when dispensing medication, must be scrapped immediately."

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) Special Committee for public health promotion held a rally in front of the National Assembly Main Building in Yeouido

Kim warned the government and the National Assembly, saying, "Do not trade the public's health for economic logic. While pharmacist groups mislead public opinion by citing ambiguous budget savings, no budget can be more precious than the lives of our citizens."

Kim further stressed, "If INN prescribing is enforced, we will regard it as a unilateral breach of the Medical-Pharmaceutical-Government Agreement and declare the total nullification of the SPD system. If our right to prescribe is violated and patient safety is threatened, we will stake everything, including my presidency, on this struggle."

Following him, Kim Kyo-woong, Chairman of the KMA representative council, pointed out, "INN prescribing is not simply a systemic change. It is an act that denies the medical judgment of physicians who have precisely diagnosed a patient's condition. Furthermore, it is a highly irresponsible idea that breaks the continuity of treatment and puts patients at risk."

Lee Ju-byung, Chairman of the Special Committee to Oppose INN Prescribing, asked, "The new bill states that failure to comply with mandatory INN prescribing will result in up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million KRW. Is this such a serious crime? Who proposed that a doctor should face imprisonment for not prescribing by ingredient name?

Lee raised his voice, saying, "Some say doctors prescribe by brand name to receive rebates," adding, "Then, are you advocating for INN prescribing just to receive rebates yourselves?"

Lee added, "If the government insists on mandating INN prescribing for the sake of the public, we doctors will, in accordance with the government's will, launch a movement to prescribe only original drugs solely for the benefit of the people."

Park Jong-hwan, President of the Medical Association Council for 25 clinics in Seoul, also noted, "On one hand, they say we must implement INN prescribing for public convenience, but on the other hand, they want to forcibly close large-scale pharmacies that the public can use late at night and which offer a wide range of drug choices," adding, "Isn't this an act of inconsistency?"

Park stated, "The legislation proposed by Rep. Jang Jong-tae is a self-contradiction," adding, "Both bills contain the words public and patient, but the actual public and patients are nowhere to be found. They only look toward the interests and votes of specific professional interest groups."

Park concluded, "I do not know whether it is a National Assembly member's job to pass bills that give all dispensing authority to pharmacists through INN prescribing and protect the interests of small pharmacy owners by regulating large pharmacies, or if this is simply for the benefit of a specific group."