Beijing: Anti-COVID generic medications from India, especially the generic form of Pfizer’s oral medication Paxlovid, have allegedly become top sellers in China as the country experiences an unprecedented rise of COVID-19 cases. People are needed to make reservations weeks in advance due to high demand.
According to a study in ORF, Chinese publications point out that ‘anti-COVID Indian generic medications marketed at RMB 1000 box’ has surfaced on Weibo’s top search list in the most recent days. Several e-commerce platforms and individual retailers across China have now entered pre-sale mode due to the decreasing supply of anti-Covid generic medications imported from India.
While direct mail from India takes roughly 15-20 days and is limited to only two boxes per individual, these generic medications are now impossible to get off the shelf in China. However, the pharmaceuticals are selling like hotcakes in China’s illegal marketplaces and social circles, according to the ORF investigation, even though certain online e-commerce platforms have blacklisted Indian generic-related terms in response to the high demand.
While Paxlovid by Pfizer and Azvudine by local company Real Bio are the only two specific anti-Covid medications currently approved in China, Azvudine is reportedly having some issues on the domestic market because the company withdrew certain information about the medication after Azvudine was conditionally approved for listing. However, despite the fact that Paxlovid is lowering the death rate and incidence of severe disease by 82.5%, especially in the senior population, the drug is in short supply in the Chinese market.
Post Your Comments