Change In Japan’s OTC Laws Bodes Changes In Buying Habits
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
A major change in Japan's laws governing the sale of over-the-counter drugs is expected to lead to a major change in consumer buying habits when it takes effect next April. As of that month, supermarkets and other large retailers are to be allowed to sell OTC drugs, currently confined to pharmacies. A price battle between the two groups is expected to result from relaxation of the pharmaceutical affairs law, placing pressure on drugstores that have seen rapid growth recently, but now face a need to change business models. The law change would remove the current requirement that limits OTC drug sales to pharmacists, allowing regular sales staff to sell the drugs after a year of drug-selling experience and a "registered drug seller" license. (Click here for more - a subscription may be required
You may also be interested in...
Japan’s OTC Market Rebounds On Brisk Lifestyle-Illness Drug Sales
TOKYO - While Japan's $70 billion pharmaceutical market is shrinking in value in line with the annual lowering of government health insurance drug prices, one sector is registering growth that industry officials describe as rather unexpected: the over-the-counter market for drugs that treat common colds to traditional Chinese medicines for metabolic syndrome
EU Regulatory Assessors Get AI Boost In Reaching Scientific Decisions
The European Medicines Agency is training scientific staff working for the European medicines regulatory network in how to use a new AI-powered search engine that allows them to easily retrieve information on regulatory precedents.
EU Parliament Stricter Than Council On Medicines And Medical Devices Packaging
The EU Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety committee takes a compromise position with regards to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. Medicines and medical devices should be exempt, but only until 2035, at which point the European Commission should check whether the development of materials and the recycling process have progressed, and may adjust this exemption accordingly.