Since the relaxation of epidemic measures, antipyretic drugs ibuprofen have suddenly become the center of conversation! A series of words such as panic buying, tight demand, sky-high price, etc. have become labels for ibuprofen. So why is ibuprofen so hard to find?
China is the world's largest producer and exporter of ibuprofen, accounting for one-third of global production capacity. Xinhua Pharmaceutical located in Zibo, Shandong Province is the largest manufacturer of ibuprofen APIs in China, with a current annual production capacity of 8,000 tons. Another company, Hendi, has a production capacity of 3,500 tons. These are the two largest ibuprofen API manufacturers in my country.
In 2021, China’s demand for ibuprofen will be 1,722.60 tons. The combined production capacity of the two companies reaches 11,500 tons. It is more than 6 times the demand.
The common specifications of ibuprofen sustained-release capsules are 0.3g or 0.4g. Based on a rough calculation of a 0.3g tablet, 1 ton of ibuprofen raw material can produce 3.3333 million tablets of ibuprofen preparations. That is to say, Xinhua Pharmaceutical can now produce 26.6 billion tablets of ibuprofen with raw materials per year. Including Hendy's production, the country's annual ibuprofen raw materials are enough to produce 38.3 billion ibuprofen tablets. Each of the 1.4 billion people in the country can receive 27 tablets, which is enough to deal with multiple fevers.
Then why can’t we buy it?
Restrictions on time, production capacity, human factors and other factors have caused us to temporarily encounter difficulties.
Time is too hasty. Taking Xinhua Pharmaceutical as an example, it has an annual output of 8,000 tons, with an average of less than 700 tons per month. Even if it works 30 days a day, it only accounts for more than 20 tons a day. Counting from the beginning of December, 400 tons of raw materials will be produced. These 400 tons of raw materials are only enough to produce 1.3 billion tablets of ibuprofen. The current number of infections estimated by relevant departments is close to 300 million, with a large increase every day. So the demand is huge in a short period of time.
production capacity is also a big problem for . The production of raw materials takes time, and pharmaceutical companies also need time to produce. Together, it takes about 40 days to produce hundreds of millions of ibuprofen tablets! And does not include circulation and retail links. Although there are many pharmaceutical companies now qualified to produce ibuprofen, due to the low demand for ibuprofen in the early stage, many companies did not produce it in large quantities. Now that demand has increased significantly, it will take a certain amount of time to convert production lines in a short period of time, resulting in insufficient production capacity.
Human factors are critical. When faced with the epidemic, many people panicked and purchased large amounts of medicines that exceeded their dosage. In fact, this kind of person is quite understandable, after all, everyone's psychological endurance is different. However, there are still people who hoard goods in order to make huge profits, resulting in shortages in the retail sector of the market, and many drugs are sold at sky-high prices. In addition, the lack of preparation for the development of the epidemic in all aspects, including pharmaceutical companies, is also an important factor.
However, as time goes by, the production capacity of major pharmaceutical companies has been released, and many places across the country have begun to supply ibuprofen in limited quantities. Many cities in Shandong can already purchase ibuprofen in limited quantities at designated locations. I believe that the problem of ibuprofen shortages will gradually be resolved. What is in short supply right now is medicine for children, and children’s medicines are sold at sky-high prices in many places! It is hoped that major pharmaceutical companies will increase their production capacity for children's medicines and ensure children's medicines as soon as possible.
my country is a major pharmaceutical country in the world. It has sufficient production capacity for raw materials such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, and has global supply capabilities. Therefore, the current difficulties are only temporary. I believe that major pharmaceutical companies will soon reach full production capacity to ensure the supply of various drugs.
