• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.247-255
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• 2017

Background: South Korea has experienced problems with excessive pharmaceutical expenditures. In 2010, the South Korean government introduced an outpatient prescription incentive program to effectively manage pharmaceutical expenditures. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the outpatient prescription incentive program and pharmaceutical expenditures. Methods: We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database, which included medical claims filed for 22,732 clinics from 2011-2014 to evaluate associated pharmaceutical expenditures. We performed multiple regression analysis and Poisson regression analysis using generalized estimating equation models to examine the associations between outpatient prescription incentives and the outcome variables. Results: The data used in this study consisted of 123,392 cases from 22,372 clinics (average 5.4 periods follow-up). Clinics that had received outpatient prescription incentives in the last period had better cost saving and Outpatient Prescribing Costliness Index (OPCI) (received: proportion of cost saving, ${\beta}=6.8179$; p-value < 0.0001; OPCI, ${\beta}=-0.0227$; p-value < 0.0001; reference = non-received). Moreover, these clinics had higher risk in the provision of outpatient prescription incentive (relative risk, 2.772; 95% confidence interval, 2.720 to 2.824). The associations were higher in clinics that had separate prescribing and dispensing programs, or had professional staff. Conclusion: The introduction of an outpatient prescription incentive program for clinics effectively managed problems with rapid increases of pharmaceutical expenditures in South Korea. However, the pharmaceutical expenditures still increased in spite of the positive impact of the outpatient prescription incentive program. Therefore, healthcare professionals and health policy makers should develop more effective alternatives (i.e., for clinics without separate prescribing and dispensing programs) based on our results.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.282-287
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• 2014

Objective: Objective of this study was to investigate community pharmacy-based pharmaceutical care accessibility in Korea. Survey on the current pharmaceutical care service provision was performed by PM2000 XE, a real-time pharmacy manager program, operated by Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center beginning November 4, 2013 until December 6, 2013 towards all community pharmacies throughout the nation which use the program. Method: The survey questionnaire consisted of four sections: pharmacy type, time-based accessibility, item-based accessibility, and spatial accessibility for non-prescription drugs. Results: Number of pharmacy responded to the survey was 331, and size of the responding pharmacy was mostly medium-scale (66.47%) with 30-99 prescription fillings a day. Proportion of pharmacy with opening hour of 12 hours or longer was only 53.77% and it was less than 25% during saturdays and holidays. Item-based accessibility was generally acceptable for prescription and non-prescription drugs, medical devices, and health supplements. However, spatial accessibility for non-prescription drugs was problematic because only one quarter of the drugs was displayed over the counter, and most of the drugs were behind the counter so that customers could not reach out. Conclusion: Based on the survey result, current situation for accessibility of pharmaceutical care service in Korea is concluded inadequate and therefore needs multidimensional efforts to improve accessibility of the service at national level such as Korea Pharmaceutical Association and Ministry of Health and Welfare.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.122-125
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• 1996

We examined the effect of topical application of Shimotsu-to, a traditional Chinese herbal prescription, on carrageenin-induced edema in rats and ultraviolet radiation-induced erythema in guinea pigs. Shimotsu-to (5% in water) markedly suppressed an acute edema of rat hindpaw induced by 1% carrageenin, and was more effective than any other single crude drug componcent of Shimotsu-to, Topical treatment with this prescription also inhibited ultraviolet erythema on the back skin of guinea pigs (a human sunbrun model). These results suggest the therapeutic effect on acute inflammation by topical application of Shimotsu-to.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.130-139
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• 2000

This study is intended to set the criteria for the classification of prescription and non-prescription drugs, and classify hospital pharmacy formulations according to the criteria. 717 hospital pharmacy formulations were collected ken the Center for review and evaluation of health insurance, and national provincial offices. Hospital pharmacy formulations were evaluated based on the 'Guidelines on the Hospital Pharmacy Formulations (Notification No. 2000-46)'by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Drug classification advisory committee was composed of twelve medical and pharmaceutical specialists, and suggested opinions on the drug classification. Among 717 formulations, 651 drugs $(90.8\%)$ satisfied the basic conditions for the hospital pharmacy formulations. 312 formulations $(43.5\%)$ were classified as drugs for the disinfection and tests. For the rest of them, 231 formulations were classified as prescription drugs whereas 108 drugs were as non-prescription drugs. 56 non-prescription drugs were included as hospital formulations, because there were no therapeutic alternatives. Iu sum 599 drugs $(83.5\%)$ were suggested as hospital pharmacy formulations. The study also recommends pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs of limited commercial value, and doctors to change their unique prescribing behavior in order to prevent the abuse of hospital pharmacy formulations.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.272.3-273
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• 2003

Dalwoneum is the one of Chinese traditional prescription used for the treatment of liver disease. This prescription consists of Arecae Semen (12 g), Magnoliae Cortex (9 g), Amomi tsao-ko Fructus (3 g), Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (12 g), Paeoniae Radix (9 g), Scutellariae Radix (12 g), and Glycyrrhizae Radix (3 g). Water extract of Dalwoneum showed the significant hepatoprotective effect on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells. (omitted)

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.238-244
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• 2016

Background: Mupirocin, a topical antimicrobial agent has been used for patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and recently mupirocin resistance was issued in some studies. The objective of this study was to analyze prescription patterns of topical mupirocin, to evaluate appropriateness of prescriptions in the ambulatory setting, and to compare frequency of mupirocin usage in South Korea with that in United States. Methods: Topical mupirocin prescription patterns (the number of prescription and a prescription period), and appropriateness of prescription (including a prescription rate over 10 days, a repeat prescription rate within 30 days and a prescription rate within labeled indications) were analyzed using the 2012 Health Insurance and Review and Assessment service-National Patient Sample dataset of South Korea. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey dataset was used to quantify topical mupirocin prescription in United States for comparison. Results: In South Korea, the prescriptions rate for use over 10 days was 3%, the repeat prescription rate within 30 days was 8.87% and the prescription proportion within labeled indications was 33.84%. The most frequent diagnostic code was nonbacterial infection. The prescription rate per 1000 population of topical mupirocin in South Korea was calculated to be 46.07, whereas in United States was calculated to be 13.10. Conclusion: Topical mupirocin has been used frequently and inappropriately, so further studies are required to investigate the rationale behind such prescribing mupirocin patterns.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2011

Many pharmaceutical products are available through prescription (Rx) only status. As a result, access to physicians and insurance coverage play a key role in the use of these products, and therefore may affect the population to whom advertising is targeted at. The movement of pharmaceutical products from prescription (Rx) to Over-the-Counter (OTC), or Rx-to-OTC switch changes the cost of acquiring the drug and therefore may change the incentives manufacturers have at targeting particular population segments. This study examines whether Rx-to-OTC switch changes the frequency and the distribution of who is exposed to pharmaceutical advertising. Using an archive of pharmaceutical advertisements and National Consumer Survey, this study examines how individuals with particular demographic characteristics are exposed to pharmaceutical advertisements before and after drugs are moved from Rx to OTC. The results provide evidence that individual's advertising exposure increases after Rx-to-OTC switch. Moreover, the increase in advertising exposure is greater for the low socioeconomic status (SES) consumers which implies they may get more information about the disease, treatment and product after the Rx-to-OTC switch through advertising. If low SES consumers have more exposure to the advertising after products switched to OTC, then FDA policies regulating this switch should recognize the potential role of advertising providing access to health-related information.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.93-103
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• 2011

This paper has aimed to identify marketing variables which affect physicians' prescription of drug. Based on a literature review this paper derives the three factors (indirect commercial source, direct commercial source, academic information source) of information sources that physicians rely on for medicines, the three factors (research supporting activity, marketing supporting activity, medicine information supporting activity) of promotion activities physicians prefer, and the four factors (indirect quality of medicine, direct quality of medicine, experience of using medicine, price and design of medicine) of prescription criteria physicians use. Then it investigates using canonical correlation analysis whether or not physicians' prescriptions are affected by the information sources, the promotion activities, and the type of physicians. From the canonical correlation analysis this paper derives the meaningful three canonical functions of prescription for drugs. The first function explains the prescription which is insensitive to marketing activities, the second function does the prescription which is sensitive to them, and the final function does the prescription which is not affected by them.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 1986

Ssangwhatang which has been known to have antipyretic, analgesic and antifatigue effects are composed of Paeoniae Radix, Angelicae gigantis Radix, Astragali Radix, Rehmaniae Radix, Cnidii Rhizoma, Cassiae Cortex, Glycyrrhizae Radix and Puerariae Radix. Effects of some formulations of Ssangwhatang were studied with respect to the analgesic, antipyretic, hypothermic, anticonvulsive and antiinflammatory actions in experimental animals. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Prescription A, B, C and D of Ssangwhatang were showed significant analgesic effect by the acetic acid stimulating method in mice. 2) All Ssangwhatang-prescriptions used in this studies had hypothermic effect in normal mice. 3) Significant antipyretic effect in febrile rabbits were recognized in prescription A and C of Ssangwhatang, while not in prescription B and D of Ssangwhatang. 4) Prescription A, B, C and D of Ssangwhatang showed marked antiinflammatory effect against the edema induced by carrageenin in rats. 5) Prescriptions of Ssangwhatang did not show significant anticonvulsive effect against the convulsion induced by picrotoxin and strychnine in mice. From the above results, analgesic, hypothermic, antipyretic and antiinflammatory effects were recognized in Ssangwhatang. Ssangwhatang A- and C- prescriptions added with Pueraiae Radix showed better effects than prescription B and C of Ssangwhatang.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.262-267
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• 2014

Unused medication disposal is a burden due to the cost of disposing as well as the cost of the drugs. Investigating medication returns is expected to suggest areas of intervention to reduce unused medications. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine types, quantity, costs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and therapeutic category of the medications returned to community pharmacies. Method: From January 15, 2014 to February 28, 2014, the medications returned to the 17 community pharmacies in Gimhae, Jinju, and Incheon, Korea were examined. The pharmacists and student volunteers worked cooperatively to identify the medications and analyze drug cost of prescription pill medications returned to the pharmacies. Results: A total of 2,720 pills of prescription medication were analyzed and 91 active pharmaceutical ingredients were identified. According to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification, the most predominant group was A (alimentary tract and metabolism) with 33.3%, followed by N (nervous system) with 15.0%. With regard to the drug cost of groups, group A was the highest with 26.6%, followed by J01 (antibacterials for systemic use) with 20.2% and N (nervous system) with 18.3%. The total cost of the oral pill prescription medications was 468,477 won. Conclusion: The result from this study implies that unused drugs impose a significant cost to the health care system in Korea. In this study, medicines used to treat gastrointestinal conditions were returned most frequently with the highest drug cost. Further research in nationwide level is necessary to establish strategies to reduce the wastage of unused medicines.