Mothers of patients with intractable diseases have requested the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to continue insurance coverage for “OTC-like drugs,” which currently require a doctor’s prescription despite having similar effects to over-the-counter medications. OTC-like drugs are prescription medications currently covered by insurance that share similar ingredients and effects with over-the-counter drugs. On the 10th, Tomoko Oto, a mother whose son suffers from “ichthyosis,” a designated intractable skin disease, and others submitted a request to the ministry to maintain insurance coverage for these drugs. According to Oto, if the medication currently used for ichthyosis treatment loses insurance coverage, the annual cost could rise from around ¥30,000 to approximately ¥820,000. During a press conference after submitting the request, Oto pleaded, “We hope insurance coverage for OTC-like drugs remains in place to prevent people from struggling financially due to medication costs.” The government’s “Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management” includes a review of insurance benefits for OTC-like drugs to “reduce public burdens, including insurance premiums for the working-age population.”
