Japan’s New Rx-To-OTC Procedure Exacerbating Switch Blockage Says JSMI

29 Jul 2019

Japan's new Rx-to-OTC switch procedure has exacerbated a "switch lag" compared with developed countries, says Japan Self-Medication Industry senior adviser Toshi Tominaga in an exclusive interview with HBW Insight. Tominaga proposes improvements such as self-care education for consumers and drug usage advice included by firms in switch applications to help balance the risk-benefit decisions of expert judges.

A conservative switch committee and a doctor-centered healthcare system in Japan are holding back prescription-to-OTC re-classifications in the country, according to the Japanese self-medication industry association, JSMI.

Japan recently updated its prescription-to-OTC reclassification procedure with the goal of expediting switches. But the change has actually had the...