June 18, 2007

Hello Community Members,

This week we continue with our medical series and focus on medicines in Japan.

If you felt under the weather in your home country, you would probably hobble down to your local drug store or pharmacy and ask for a simple over-the-counter remedy. In Japan, however, when most people get even a little sick, they go to their local doctor's clinic, get a check-up and receive some prescription medicine. It is said to be cheaper and the remedies are thought to be more effective.

As they say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," (or, as the Japanese say, 郷にいれば、郷に従え gou-ni ireba, gou-ni shitagae), so I dutifully went to the doctor to get some help.

Where Are My Drugs?

Many doctors will not fill the prescription at the clinic. Typically, you will receive a prescription form that you present at a pharmacy, and, conveniently, you'll usually find a pharmacy located next to the clinic. It is pretty obvious that the pharmacy and the clinic are in a partnership, since the pharmacy stocks hardly any medicine other than the prescriptions issued by the clinic. (In fact, the pharmacy staff is usually quite surprised when you walk in off the street and give them a list of symptoms. When I tried that one time, the staff smiled a little condescendingly and explained that there are two types of pharmacies: one for prescription medicine and another for non-prescription medicine.)

But this traditional relationship between small private clinics and small pharmacies is now technically illegal, and the market is being swiftly deregulated to ensure independence and competition. So, in the doctor's clinic, instead of saying, "Go to the pharmacy next door," the receptionist will merely suggest that the nearby pharmacy will be able to fill your prescription. (Wink wink, nudge nudge.)

Getting a prescription filled in Japan is no different from elsewhere in the world. Present your prescription and health insurance card to the cashier, and in about 10 minutes pick up your package of drugs.

What Does This One Do, and How Do You Take It? Japanese drugs are usually prescribed to treat just one symptom of your illness. If you have the flu, for example, you'll get: 1 drug for your sore throat 1 drug for aches and pains 1 drug for fever 1 drug for dehydration And they're often not pills, either. Japanese drugs come in powder form (粉薬 kona-gusuri) in small plastic pockets. To take one, you pour the powder into your mouth (ever eat a Pixy Stix as a kid?), and wash it down with some water.

Can't I Just Run to the Drugstore?

But if you've just got a splitting headache or have picked up a chill, and want some medicine without the whole check-up hassle, the local pharmacy is the place to go.

If you live in a medium-sized town in Japan, your local drugstore is likely to stock just about everything encompassing the whole cycle of life from diapers to condoms to diapers again. But more and more the local drugstores are starting to look like supermarkets, and the supermarkets are starting to add larger and larger health and beauty sections.

The encroachment of supermarkets into the pharmacy arena has been happening at a slow pace in Japan. But drugstore retailers have a real concern that over the next several years supermarkets will carry much of the same health and beauty merchandise as a typical Japanese drugstore. Many supermarkets have already done just that, and the trend is expected to continue.

With about 19% of the global market, Japan's $48-billion market for pharmaceuticals is the largest in the world behind the U.S., but it is dominated by domestic manufacturers. Accounting for less than 10% of the total market, imports have remained at a constant level for the past several years. The majority of foreign pharmaceutical companies in Japan are large U.S. and European drug companies that manufacture and sell their products locally or license compounds to Japanese drug manufacturers.

In order to protect the domestic drug industry, laws are in place to restrict the importation of medicines into Japan. However, this has had the unintended effect of delaying the introduction of newer, more advanced treatments into the country, and allowing older generations of drugs (with their associated side effects) to stay on the market.

B.Y.O.M. (Bring Your Own Medicine)?

If you've ever battled a never-ending cold like me, you might be interested to know that medicines in Japan are considerably weaker than the ones at home. Over-the-counter cold remedies available in our home countries often contain small amounts of stimulants to give you a boost and make you feel less lethargic. In Japan, however, there are strict laws to prevent the illegal importation and manufacture of such stimulants, due to the fear that they may be abused. As a result, even if you find your favorite brand of cold remedy in Japan, it may use a different formulation, and be nowhere nearly as effective.

The result? When I get a cold in Japan, whether I go to the doctor or go to the pharmacy, I'm usually sick for a looong time... Then again, come to think of it, when I get a cold outside of Japan, I'm usually sick for a long time, too.

Support Tips

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Thanks, everyone, for helping make JOI a great online Japanese school! I hope you're having fun learning Japanese online. And don't forget about the lesson blog (login required)—take a look and post a comment in English or Japanese.

If you have other questions, be sure to check out the FAQs, or if you don't find an answer there, write me at support@japonin.com.

Regards,
 
Moses
JOI Support