Korea Moves to Expand Convenience Store Medicines, Faces Pharmacist Pushback

The government is pushing to expand the list of "safe over-the-counter medicines" sold at convenience stores, a category long capped at 13 items or fewer.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) plans to formally discuss raising the number of household medicines sold at convenience stores from the current 11 to as many as 20 in the second half of this year, while also expanding sales outlets in consideration of areas without pharmacies. But the prospects for implementation remain uncertain, as pharmacist groups that opposed expanding convenience store medicines in the past maintain that the move is difficult to accept.

The convenience store medicine sales system took effect in November 2012 to ease the difficulty of buying medicines on public holidays or late at night when pharmacies are closed. The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act allows the Minister of Health and Welfare to designate convenience store household medicines within a limit of 20 items, taking into account ingredients, side effects, dosage, formulation, recognition, and convenience.

A total of 13 medicines are currently approved for sale at convenience stores. Specifically, these are five fever reducers and painkillers including "Tylenol Tablet 500mg," four digestive aids such as "Beaze Tablet" and "Festal Gold Tablet," two cold medicines including "Pancol A Liquid" and "Panpyrin T Tablet," and two pain-relief patches such as "Jeil Cool Pap" and "Shinshin Pas Arex." However, among the fever reducers and painkillers, "Tylenol Tablet 160mg" and "Children's Tylenol Tablet 80mg" have been discontinued, leaving 11 medicines actually available for purchase.

Most convenience store medicines contain only a single day's dosage. Some have slightly different ingredients from medicines sold at pharmacies. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the supply value of convenience store medicines reached 55.5 billion won in 2024, of which Tylenol Tablet 500mg accounted for the most at 21.8 billion won, followed by Pancol A Liquid at 16.2 billion won.

Analysts say the government's renewed push to adjust the list of convenience store medicines reflects the reality that 2 of the 13 items have already been discontinued, along with a judgment that the system has utility.

The pharmacist community, including the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, still strongly opposes expanding the list of convenience store medicines. The association pointed out that the current system, which is being poorly operated, needs to be reviewed before convenience store medicines are increased. "To sell health functional foods, even pharmacists must receive training every year, but when medicines are sold at convenience stores, training is given only once and is mostly limited to store owners," an association official said. "There are also research findings that the risk of acetaminophen poisoning contained in Tylenol has increased since medicine sales began at convenience stores."