Global General
S. Korea to allow exporting narcotics for medical treatment
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-29 14:26
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SEOUL: South Korea is moving to allow exporting narcotics for medial treatment in an effort to strengthen competitive edge of the domestic pharmaceutical industry, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs told Xinhua Tuesday.
The partial revision of the current law banning all narcotics export, approved in a cabinet meeting held Tuesday, would allow exporting drugs for medical treatment upon getting permission from the Korea Food & Drug Administration, the health ministry said.
The revised bill also requires manufacturers and importers of raw materials of narcotic drugs, such as sulfuric acid and acetone, to notify the authorities, a move to prevent possible drug misappropriation, the ministry added.
"There is a growing need for narcotics for medical treatment as the society ages with higher incidence of incurable diseases," a health ministry official was quoted as saying by Seoul's Yonhap News Agency.
The revised bill will go into effect starting 2011, a ministry official told Xinhua.
