Glucosamine is being used as functional health food and medical drug, and total of 35 products (glucosamine sulfate) have been approved as medical drugs in Korea (Korea Food & Drug Administration, 2010). According to the data from Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (2009), the value of quantities of glucosamine sulfate produced annually is 14.2 Billion Korean Won and the health insurance EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) claim value is approximately 8 Billion Korean Won.

However, in the case of overseas countries, only Italy and England approved glucosamine sulfate as ethical drug while Germany, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, etc. approved it as over the counter. Only Korea, Taiwan and Thailand recognize it for health insurance payment. Moreover, while Korea is making payment for glucosamine sulfate based on the approvals of Korea Food & Drug Administration without separate standard in Korea, Taiwan makes payment in accordance with strict standard and Thailand is recently attempting to exclude it from insurance payment.

The National Evidence-based Health Care Collaborating Agency has announced that there is no basis for the clinical effect on ‘the effect of glucosamine and chondroitin on osteoarthritis in December 2009 through systematic review and meta-analysis, and the study by Wandel et al (2010) also announced that there is no effect of glucosamine that could be acknowledged from the clinical perspective. In spite of these findings, glucosamine continues to be recognized not only as functional health food but also as medical drug, and social disputes on glucosamine including the adequacy of health insurance payment and consumer confusion continue since payment by the health insurance is acknowledged if it is being administered 3 times per day for more than 6 weeks with single dosage of 500mg for patients with ‘mild to severe osteoarthritis’.

Accordingly, the National Evidence-based Health Care Collaborating Agency re-evaluated the current basis on the clinical effect of glucosamine with follow-up research on the existing report, 'the effect of glucosamine and chondroitin in osteoarthritis (National Evidence-based Health Care Collaborating Agency, 2009).