Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
TVBS – November 8, 2011
Many people have experience buying prepackaged medicine at pharmacies, thinking it’s more convenient and faster than visiting a clinic. However, what you may not know is that, according to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, pharmacists cannot proactively dispense medication without a doctor’s prescription. Yet, a TVBS undercover investigation found that as long as customers make a request, pharmacies are willing to sell anything—from cold medicine to even controlled sleeping pills like Stilnox—and at prices three times higher than those at clinics covered by national health insurance.
Customer: "I have a headache."
Pharmacy staff: "Any fever?"
Customer: "Probably not, no fever."
After a brief description of cold symptoms, the pharmacy staff immediately offered to prepare medication without hesitation.
Pharmacy staff: "No big deal, no need to go to the hospital. Sometimes, the air in hospitals isn’t great—a minor cold could turn into a major one."
Without any diagnosis and relying solely on the customer’s description, the pharmacy staff swiftly pulled out six different medications. When asked what the package contained, they provided no further details.
Reporter: "What kind of medicine is inside?"
Pharmacy staff: "Just something for a sore throat. I’ll prepare it for you."
ENT specialist Dr. Tseng Che-huang: "This capsule might be an antibiotic, but since each manufacturer makes them differently, it’s impossible to tell what’s actually inside just by looking."
Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, pharmacists are prohibited from dispensing medications—whether antibiotics or even painkillers—without a doctor’s prescription. However, some pharmacies, driven by profit, even dare to sell controlled substances like Stilnox.
Reporter: "Can you get Stilnox?"
Pharmacy staff: "I can arrange it for you. I have colleagues who work at hospitals. They’ll be here around 5:10 p.m."
A single Stilnox pill sells for NT$25 at these pharmacies, compared to about NT$7 at clinics covered by national health insurance—a markup of over three times. The high profit margin leads pharmacy staff to take the legal risk.
Tang Chin-shih, Executive Director of the Kaohsiung Pharmacists Association: "This is not allowed. Normally, we can only recommend over-the-counter medications available on the shelves."
Dispensing medication without a prescription is prohibited, let alone selling controlled substances. When customers rely solely on self-reported symptoms to get medication from pharmacies, it’s essentially self-diagnosis. Without professional evaluation, no one can guarantee what illness they actually have. The most serious consequence is that underlying conditions may go undetected and untreated.Exclusive: Drug Bureau Violates Law by Selling Packaged Medications - Even Daring to Sell Controlled Sleeping Pills
Exclusive〉Pharmacies Illegally Repackage and Sell Controlled Sleeping Pills
Many people have experience buying prepackaged medicine at pharmacies, thinking it’s more convenient and faster than visiting a clinic. However, what you may not know is that, according to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, pharmacists cannot proactively dispense medication without a doctor’s prescription. Yet, a TVBS undercover investigation found that as long as customers make a request, pharmacies are willing to sell anything—from cold medicine to even controlled sleeping pills like Stilnox—and at prices three times higher than those at clinics covered by national health insurance.
Customer: "I have a headache."
Pharmacy staff: "Any fever?"
Customer: "Probably not, no fever."
After a brief description of cold symptoms, the pharmacy staff immediately offered to prepare medication without hesitation.
Pharmacy staff: "No big deal, no need to go to the hospital. Sometimes, the air in hospitals isn’t great—a minor cold could turn into a major one."
Without any diagnosis and relying solely on the customer’s description, the pharmacy staff swiftly pulled out six different medications. When asked what the package contained, they provided no further details.
Reporter: "What kind of medicine is inside?"
Pharmacy staff: "Just something for a sore throat. I’ll prepare it for you."
ENT specialist Dr. Tseng Che-huang: "This capsule might be an antibiotic, but since each manufacturer makes them differently, it’s impossible to tell what’s actually inside just by looking."
Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, pharmacists are prohibited from dispensing medications—whether antibiotics or even painkillers—without a doctor’s prescription. However, some pharmacies, driven by profit, even dare to sell controlled substances like Stilnox.
Reporter: "Can you get Stilnox?"
Pharmacy staff: "I can arrange it for you. I have colleagues who work at hospitals. They’ll be here around 5:10 p.m."
A single Stilnox pill sells for NT$25 at these pharmacies, compared to about NT$7 at clinics covered by national health insurance—a markup of over three times. The high profit margin leads pharmacy staff to take the legal risk.
Tang Chin-shih, Executive Director of the Kaohsiung Pharmacists Association: "This is not allowed. Normally, we can only recommend over-the-counter medications available on the shelves."
Dispensing medication without a prescription is prohibited, let alone selling controlled substances. When customers rely solely on self-reported symptoms to get medication from pharmacies, it’s essentially self-diagnosis. Without professional evaluation, no one can guarantee what illness they actually have. The most serious consequence is that underlying conditions may go undetected and untreated.Exclusive: Drug Bureau Violates Law by Selling Packaged Medications - Even Daring to Sell Controlled Sleeping Pills