{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T02:44:58Z","timestamp":1791945898684,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790294400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790294400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In South Korea, a substantial volume of prescription psychotropics is dispensed outside the national health insurance reimbursement system, creating a pharmacovigilance blind spot. We investigated nationwide utilization patterns of medical narcotics to identify potential safety signals using the Narcotics Information Management System (NIMS) database.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This population\u2010based descriptive study analyzed NIMS data covering all controlled substances dispensed in South Korea from January 2019 to May 2023. We examined overall trends and stratified patterns for anorexiants and ADHD medications. Prescription volumes were expressed as estimated dispensing units (EDU) per 1000 persons per month using resident registration population data as denominators.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Among 3.1 million dispensing cases, anorexiants exhibited a stark gender disparity. Women at primary care clinics received approximately 440 EDUs per 1000 women per month\u2014approximately 15 times the volume dispensed to men\u2014concentrated among women aged 30\u201349, suggesting widespread prescribing outside approved indications for aesthetic weight management. ADHD medications were predominantly dispensed to males, with the largest gender gap observed in adolescents aged 10\u201319 and a progressively narrowing disparity in older age groups. Dispensing rates for both drug classes increased steadily over the study period, with the most pronounced rise in ADHD medications observed after the resumption of in\u2010person schooling following COVID\u201019 disruptions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study provides the first population\u2010level analysis of medical narcotics utilization in South Korea's non\u2010reimbursed sector. The disproportionate exposure of young women to psychotropic anorexiants constitutes a compelling pharmacovigilance signal. Addressing this requires not only an integrated data infrastructure linking NIMS with national health insurance records, but also the restoration of meaningful professional oversight over prescribing outside the reimbursement system.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/pds.70480","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T08:26:16Z","timestamp":1790324776000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Trends and Gender Disparities in Medical Narcotics Utilization in South Korea: A Nationwide Population\u2010Based Study, 2019\u20132023"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"35","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8229-9613","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jin\u2010Hwan","family":"Kim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine Kyung Hee University  Seoul Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-0550-4481","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonghun","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology, College of Social Science Seoul National University  Seoul Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1766-8432","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Saerom","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine Inje University  Busan Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","unstructured":"Ministry of Food and Drug SafetyandMinistry of Health and Welfare \u201cNarcotics Control Act [\ub9c8\uc57d\ub958 \uad00\ub9ac\uc5d0 \uad00\ud55c \ubc95\ub960] \u201d 2025 https:\/\/www.law.go.kr\/\uc601\ubb38\ubc95\ub839\/\ub9c8\uc57d\ub958\uad00\ub9ac\uc5d0\uad00\ud55c\ubc95\ub960."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.36076\/ppj.2012\/15\/ES9"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/01410768221077360"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215\u20100366(18)30337\u20107"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2015.04.065"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_7_1","unstructured":"K.Park \u201cButterfly Pill Diet Drug Craze Among Teens Sparks Fears of Addiction Psychosis. 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