Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to intensively inspect misuse of ADHD medication ahead of CSAT

Targeted at medical institutions visited by adolescents with a high volume of prescriptions… Implement online crackdown

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Sang-hyun = The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 16th that it will conduct an intensive inspection of 'methylphenidate', a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is mistakenly known as a 'study-making drug' ahead of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

This inspection will be conducted from the 19th to the 18th of next month, the day before the college entrance exam, to prevent misuse of methylphenidate.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, along with local governments, plans to investigate medical institutions visited by teenagers and others who have a high volume of methylphenidate prescriptions.

The main inspection contents include misuse and abuse such as excessive prescription, compliance with handling reporting obligations, and whether the reported details and inventory amount match.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to conduct an expert review of cases suspected of handling methylphenidate for purposes other than business purposes, and request an investigation if it is deemed unreasonable.

In addition, if violations such as non-reporting of prescriptions or delayed reporting are confirmed, administrative measures will be requested from the local government.

In addition, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also checks online illegal sales posts that promote methylphenidate as a 'study aid drug' or 'concentration drug'.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has already detected 1,882 illegal posts through crackdowns in May and August.

Methylphenidate is a psychotropic drug that can cause side effects such as insomnia, decreased appetite, and headaches if taken by someone who has not been prescribed it.

The number of methylphenidate prescriptions in the first half of this year was 58.05 million, an increase of 12.1% compared to the same period last year. Among them, prescriptions for people under the age of 19 accounted for 28.81 million, or about half.

An official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety emphasized, "Purchasing ADHD medication without a prescription online or taking medication instead of medication prescribed by a family member or acquaintance is all a violation of drug-related laws."