Korea weighs expanding over-the-counter medicines available at convenience stores

AI핵심 요약

• ·The government plans talks this year on expanding over-the-counter drugs sold at convenience stores, reviving a long-stalled policy despite expected opposition from pharmacists.
• ·The government is pushing to expand the range of over-the-counter medicines available at convenience stores, raising the prospect of a change to a policy that has been frozen in place for 14 years.
• ·The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to begin formal discussions in the second half of this year on increasing the number of approved medicines that can be sold at convenience stores from the current 11 to as many as 20, according to government and industry sources Sunday.
• ·The move is aimed at improving access to medicines in areas without pharmacies and during late-night hours when pharmacies are closed.
• ·Under a 2012 revision to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, convenience stores are permitted to sell up to 20 types of medicine.