Public awareness booklet on polypharmacy "How many of your medicines are you taking? jointly produced and published by RAD-AR and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PAPJ) Supervision: Professor Masahiro Akishita, University of Tokyo and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

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March 24, 2020
Tomiko Tawaraki, President, Japan Council on the Proper Use of Drugs
Joji Nakayama, Chairman, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Inc.

In order to promote the proper use of pharmaceuticals, the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and the Japan Council on the Proper Use of Kusudara (President: Tomiko Tawaraki, hereinafter referred to as "the Council") have published a booklet for the general public on polypharmacy under the supervision of Professor Masahiro Akishita of Tokyo University, an expert on polypharmacy issues, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The booklet, "How many of your medicines are you taking? The booklet is available on our website and in PDF format.

Background

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) established the "Study Group on the Proper Use of Medicines for the Elderly" in April 2017 to investigate and study matters necessary to ensure the safety of medicines, and in May 2018, the "Guidelines for the Proper Use of Medicines for the Elderly (General Theory)" was published, and in June 2019, the "Guidelines for the Proper Use of Medicines for the Elderly (Individual Theory)" was published. In May 2018, the "Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Medicines for the Elderly (General)" was compiled. These guidelines were compiled for physicians, dentists, and pharmacists, but the committee also pointed out the importance of educating patients and the general public about polypharmacy.

Objective

The Council and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan jointly produced a concise awareness booklet for the purpose of informing each elderly person about the reasons why drugs increase in the elderly, the likelihood of side effects, and daily precautions to take, and to encourage them to consult with medical professionals if they feel something is amiss.

Utilization

The two organizations will work together with related organizations (Japan Chain Drug Stores Association, Japan Hospital Pharmaceutical Association, Japan Health Insurance Pharmacy Association, and Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association) to promote public awareness of this booklet so that it will be actively used by distributing it at pharmacies and other points of contact and at various events.
A PDF version of the public awareness booklet can be downloaded free of charge from the Council's website (a link to the Council is also provided on the website of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan).
We hope that each and every senior citizen will read this booklet, and we ask all members of the media for their cooperation in disseminating the URL address and QR code below.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has issued an administrative communication regarding the use of this booklet to each prefecture and related organizations as of today, March 24.