Some drug makers dumbfounded by pending bill to revise pharmaceutical affairs law

When the government legalized the sale of 48 over-the-counter (OTC) drugs outside pharmacies across the country in late July, the move was hailed by pharmaceutical firms and consumer advocacy groups. It was one of the Lee Myung-bak administration’s rare legislative triumphs in what has been a tough year for the president.

As a next step, the government submitted a bill to the National Assemb...