'Generic' to Remain Unchanged... Excluded from Standardized Terminology Notification

'Care Coordinator' Also Retained as Official Term

[Asia Economy, Kim Youngwon] The Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced standardized terms for 10 types of specialized terminology in the health and welfare sector that are based on foreign languages. 'Generic' and 'Care Coordinator,' which were initially included as terms requiring standardization, were excluded from the final announcement after considering industry feedback and other opinions.

On December 2, the Ministry announced the enactment of the "Notification on the Standardization of Specialized Terminology in the Health and Welfare Sector." Taking into account the acceptance by both the public and field professionals who use these terms, the Ministry conducted an administrative notice period from October 26 to November 14 and incorporated the feedback received to finalize the list.

The standardized terms announced this time total 10. They are as follows: ▲ CT → Computed Tomography ▲ MRI → Magnetic Resonance Imaging ▲ Oral Administration → Oral Medication ▲ Sputum → Phlegm ▲ Prognosis → Course ▲ Examinee/Recipient → Patient/Person Undergoing Examination ▲ Automated External Defibrillator → Automated Heart Defibrillator ▲ Mobile Healthcare → Remote Health Management ▲ Home Doctor → Family Physician ▲ Children in Need of Protection → Children Requiring Protection.

Among the standardized terms that were subject to administrative notice, 'Generic → Copy Drug' was excluded from the final announcement due to concerns raised by the industry. The pharmaceutical industry pointed out that the term 'Copy Drug' does not accurately reflect the characteristics of generics and could create a negative perception that generics are simply "copied." The Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association stated that generics are medicines equivalent to original drugs in terms of active ingredient content, quality, safety, mechanism of action, and efficacy, and are recognized as equivalent to original drugs by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety through bioequivalence tests. Therefore, they cannot simply be called "copy" medicines.

It is also reported that organizations such as the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization, Korea Biomedicine Industry Association, the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea, and the Korean Pharmaceutical Association conveyed to the Ministry their view that the proposed standardized term for generics was inappropriate.

Additionally, 'Care Coordinator → Care Manager' was also ultimately excluded from this announcement.

A Ministry official explained, "We considered the fact that the relevant industry feels the term 'Copy Drug' does not adequately reflect the value of generic medicines, and that the term 'Care Manager' does not fully encompass the role of a care coordinator. Given that standardized terms must also take into account the acceptance by those who primarily use them, these two terms were excluded from the list of standardized terms."

The standardization notification takes effect immediately upon its announcement. The Ministry plans to recommend that central administrative agencies actively use the standardized terms in the enactment and revision of departmental regulations, textbook production, official document preparation, and national examinations. However, considering practical acceptance, until the standardized terms are fully established in society, it will be permissible to use the existing terms alongside the new ones or to choose between them.