Japan's drugstore association asks the health ministry to allow over-the-counter finger-prick blood-glucose tests
A request delivered to the health ministry in October and made public this week would move a finger-prick blood-glucose test from medical-only access onto a drugstore shelf -- the first item on a wider list the association wants pharmacists, not just doctors, to sell and counsel on.
The Japan Association of Chain Drug Stores (JACDS, 日本チェーンドラッグストア協会) has asked the health ministry to allow pharmacies to sell self-testing kits that use a finger-prick blood sample over the counter, starting with blood-glucose tests, according to a petition the association delivered on October 26 and made public on November 11.