Abstract
Similarities among non-prescription pharmaceutical vitamin products generally available in community pharmacies were examined based on their vitamin components, and a chart was constructed to diŠerentiate products to assist in appropriate product choice. In the analysis of the similarities, two hundred and seventy-six data entries on vitamin products were extracted from the database on the package inserts of the pharmaceutical products provided by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, and they were reviewed for the amounts of vitamins they contained, in which the B vitamins, or vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, and niacin, were considered as well as vitamins C and E. Pantothenic acid andL-Cysteine that are frequently used in combination with those vitamins are also taken into consideration. The data entries were then processed by classical multi-dimensional scaling to evaluate the inter-product similarities. As a result, it was shown that the products categorized as pharmaceutical nutrients and tonics containing vitamins (NTcV) are similar to one another, reflecting the fact that they are less characteristic regarding their vitamin components. As for the products in other categories, they were generally found to be featured for their unique content of vitamin components, and thereby, each category includes products with a wide range of variation. It was also indicated that some products categorized as vitamin B1, B2, and C products are less distinguishable from those categorized as NTcV. These findings will assist pharmacists to decide on an appropriate product for a customer following consultation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 595-602 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Yakugaku Zasshi |
| Volume | 137 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
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Keywords
- Community pharmacy
- Multi-dimensional scaling
- Self-medication
- Vitamin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology
- Pharmaceutical Science
Cite this
Similarities of water-soluble vitamin components among non-prescription pharmaceutical vitamin products generally available on the domestic market. / Suzuki, Keiichiro; Kojina, Moeko; Aiba, Tetsuya.
In: Yakugaku Zasshi, Vol. 137, No. 5, 2017, p. 595-602.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Similarities of water-soluble vitamin components among non-prescription pharmaceutical vitamin products generally available on the domestic market
AU - Suzuki, Keiichiro
AU - Kojina, Moeko
AU - Aiba, Tetsuya
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Similarities among non-prescription pharmaceutical vitamin products generally available in community pharmacies were examined based on their vitamin components, and a chart was constructed to diŠerentiate products to assist in appropriate product choice. In the analysis of the similarities, two hundred and seventy-six data entries on vitamin products were extracted from the database on the package inserts of the pharmaceutical products provided by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, and they were reviewed for the amounts of vitamins they contained, in which the B vitamins, or vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, and niacin, were considered as well as vitamins C and E. Pantothenic acid andL-Cysteine that are frequently used in combination with those vitamins are also taken into consideration. The data entries were then processed by classical multi-dimensional scaling to evaluate the inter-product similarities. As a result, it was shown that the products categorized as pharmaceutical nutrients and tonics containing vitamins (NTcV) are similar to one another, reflecting the fact that they are less characteristic regarding their vitamin components. As for the products in other categories, they were generally found to be featured for their unique content of vitamin components, and thereby, each category includes products with a wide range of variation. It was also indicated that some products categorized as vitamin B1, B2, and C products are less distinguishable from those categorized as NTcV. These findings will assist pharmacists to decide on an appropriate product for a customer following consultation.
AB - Similarities among non-prescription pharmaceutical vitamin products generally available in community pharmacies were examined based on their vitamin components, and a chart was constructed to diŠerentiate products to assist in appropriate product choice. In the analysis of the similarities, two hundred and seventy-six data entries on vitamin products were extracted from the database on the package inserts of the pharmaceutical products provided by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, and they were reviewed for the amounts of vitamins they contained, in which the B vitamins, or vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, and niacin, were considered as well as vitamins C and E. Pantothenic acid andL-Cysteine that are frequently used in combination with those vitamins are also taken into consideration. The data entries were then processed by classical multi-dimensional scaling to evaluate the inter-product similarities. As a result, it was shown that the products categorized as pharmaceutical nutrients and tonics containing vitamins (NTcV) are similar to one another, reflecting the fact that they are less characteristic regarding their vitamin components. As for the products in other categories, they were generally found to be featured for their unique content of vitamin components, and thereby, each category includes products with a wide range of variation. It was also indicated that some products categorized as vitamin B1, B2, and C products are less distinguishable from those categorized as NTcV. These findings will assist pharmacists to decide on an appropriate product for a customer following consultation.
KW - Community pharmacy
KW - Multi-dimensional scaling
KW - Self-medication
KW - Vitamin
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85018459305&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85018459305&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 28458291
AN - SCOPUS:85018459305
VL - 137
SP - 595
EP - 602
JO - Yakugaku Zasshi
JF - Yakugaku Zasshi
SN - 0031-6903
IS - 5
ER -