MFDS "Focused Inspection on Overprescription of Appetite Suppressants to Adolescents"

Planned Inspection of 60 Suspicious Medical Institutions

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 10th that it will conduct a planned inspection targeting 60 medical institutions suspected of excessive prescriptions of four types of medical narcotics for adolescents (appetite suppressants, zolpidem, fentanyl patches, ADHD medications).

The inspection will be conducted from today until the 26th of this month. It is promoted by the 'Narcotics Abuse Monitoring Team,' launched on the 26th of last month to strengthen the management and supervision of medical narcotics abuse, and was prepared to respond to the recent issue of adolescent narcotics abuse.

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The inspection targets were selected by analyzing big data from the 'Narcotics Integrated Management System,' focusing on 60 medical institutions that prescribed appetite suppressants and other drugs frequently to adolescents. The inspection will concentrate on whether there is excessive prescription of medical narcotics to adolescent patients and the appropriateness of handling and managing medical narcotics.

Oh Yu-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, said, "We expect that the continuous planned inspections by the Ministry's 'Narcotics Abuse Monitoring Team' will help suppress the abuse of medical narcotics among adolescents, who are the future generation, and assist the government in winning the war against drugs."

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