Pharmacists’ Awareness and Support for Common-use Pharmaceuticals: A Survey Study

The Japan Pharmaceutical Association proposed a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, tentatively termed “common-use pharmaceuticals for both medical and general use,” in their “Policy Proposal 2022.” This new category will be classified as “Class 0,” meaning the risk classification will remain unchanged. Consequently, pharmacists will be responsible for providing information and selling these products. Understanding pharmacists’ perceptions of this policy proposal is crucial for developing a framework for this new category; however, no relevant evidence exists. Therefore, this study conducted a web-based, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey targeting pharmacists in hospitals, health insurance pharmacies, and drugstores to investigate their awareness and views on the proposal. The results revealed that less than 30％ of the pharmacists, regardless of their job role (hospital, health insurance pharmacy, or drugstore), were aware of the proposal, indicating a low level of awareness. However, regardless of their awareness at the time of the survey, more than half of the respondents expressed support for establishing these common-use pharmaceuticals, with few opposing the idea. Many pharmacists identified cold remedies, antitussives/expectorants, antipyretic analgesics, digestive medications, topical medications (eg, patches), and allergy medications as medical drugs that should be classified under the new category. This study is the first to offer insight into pharmacist awareness and views regarding the establishment of common-use pharmaceuticals, providing evidence for future discussions.