Prognosis
China Covid Wave Sparks Scramble for Vital Drugs Across Region
- Pharmacies in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, HK see demand surge
- Drugstores, couriers impose limits as medicine prices shoot up
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A tsunami of coronavirus infections in China is causing shortages of key drugs across the region as relatives and friends living overseas ship painkillers and antivirals from abroad, driving up prices and forcing some stores to cap purchases.
South Korea’s health ministry warned Wednesday that it would punish the sale of “excessive amounts” of cold medicine to an individual patient, after local media reported that a Chinese customer had bought 6 million won ($4,760) worth of drugs in Hanam city in Gyeonggi Province. Some pharmacies in Taiwan are running low on Panadol cold and flu tablets, while Bloomberg News visited 20 dispensaries in Hong Kong that were out of Panadol and Coltalin pills.