| Title |
Medicine reclassification processes and regulations for proper use of over-the-counter self-care medicines in Japan
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, July 2016
|
| DOI | 10.2147/rmhp.s98099 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Kaori Nomura, Yuki Kitagawa, Yasukatsu Yuda, Hiromi Takano-Ohmuro |
| Abstract |
Japan has actively reclassified substances ranging from prescription drugs to over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in recent years. The sale of most OTC drugs was deregulated several times and pharmacists' supervision was deemed no longer mandatory. Japan established a new OTC evaluation system in 2015 to hear opinions from various stakeholders regarding medicine types to be reclassified. This study aimed to examine the new framework to identify candidate substances for reclassification. Moreover, we examined how to manage the safe, self-care use of OTC drugs in Japan. The necessary regulatory information on OTC approvals as of January 2015 was collected using an Internet search and relevant databases. To highlight the characteristics of OTC drugs in Japan, the UK was selected as a comparison country because it too was actively promoting the reclassification of medicines from prescription to nonprescription status, and because of economic similarity. Japan and the UK have a risk-based classification for nonprescription medicines. Japan has made OTC drugs available with mandatory pharmacists' supervision, face-to-face with pharmacists, or online instruction, which is similar to the "pharmacy medicine" practiced in the UK. Japan recently reformed the reclassification process to involve physicians and the public in the process; some interactions were back to "prescription-only medicine" in the UK. It is expected that the opinion of marketers, medical professionals, and the public will improve the discussion that will greatly contribute to the safe use of drugs. Monitoring the new system will be noteworthy to ensure that OTC drug users are managing their self-care properly and visiting a doctor only when necessary. The supply methods are similar in Japan and the UK; however, the expected growth in the Japanese OTC market by the Cabinet and the industry is still uncertain. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 2 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 33 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 33 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 7 | 21% |
| Student > Bachelor | 6 | 18% |
| Researcher | 6 | 18% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 15% |
| Professor | 2 | 6% |
| Other | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 6 | 18% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 8 | 24% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 7 | 21% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 3 | 9% |
| Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 3 | 9% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 3 | 9% |
| Unknown | 8 | 24% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 26 August 2016.
All research outputs
#16,088,001
of 23,866,543 outputs
Outputs from Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
#359
of 667 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#228,026
of 355,814 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
#6
of 10 outputs
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