(Health Times reporter Zhao Mengmeng) "Since last week, I went to many hospitals in the city for consultation, but I replied that I could not get Metzole (methylprednisol tablets)." On September 28, Ms. Zhang, a patient with lupus erythematosus from Chengdu, Sichuan, told the Health Times reporter, "I traveled all over the city and only bought a few boxes of production dates in 2020."
Metzole is also called methylprednisol tablets. It is a product of Pfizer in the United States. It is a glucocorticoid drug. It mainly has the effects of anti-inflammatory , anti-allergic and immunosuppressive effects. It is used in rheumatic diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus and other diseases.
Health Times reporter randomly asked many pharmacies in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other places, and the responses they received were currently out of stock, and it is not clear when they will be purchased. The "System Lupus Erythematosus Super Talk" on Weibo also found that many netizens posted to ask for medicine and wanted to buy medicine from other patients.
pic provided by the respondent
In terms of price, the reporter searched on multiple online drug purchase platforms and found that only a few pharmacies are supplying Metso tablets, and the inventory is only a few boxes. The price of a single box is basically around 100-150 yuan, which is 3-5 times higher than the previous price of around 30 yuan.
"There is out of stock in Shanghai, including our hospital." Zheng Xinchun, deputy chief physician of the Department of Rheumatology at Shanghai Guanghua Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, told the Health Times reporter, "Metroleum is a widely used drug in clinical practice. Many patients with rheumatology and immune diseases are using hormone treatment represented by Metroleum. Of course, in addition to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, other related departments include dermatology, pediatrics, nephrology, etc.."
"There is also out of stock in Beijing, but patients do not need to panic or worry too much. For example, prednisone and Metroleum are hormone drugs, and their efficacy and side effects are similar." Li Guangtao reminded in an interview with the Health Times, "Although the drugs that treat the same disease are used to treat the same disease." There are many products, but the drugs are not easy to take. Therefore, when patients change to another drug, it is best to go to the hospital to consult the doctor's opinions and replace the drugs under the guidance of the doctor."
htmlOn the afternoon of September 28, a reporter from the Health Times called the Pfizer product consultation hotline as the patient's family. The other staff said, "They have received calls from many patients or families to report the problem of drug supply cuts. Recently, due to the impact of overseas factories due to the epidemic, there is indeed insufficient production capacity. It is not clear when the supply will be restored."According to Zhongkang Kaisi data, the market sales scale of methylprednisolone in 2021 is 1.66 billion yuan, while Metso's market share is nearly 80%, and there is a large number of long-term drug users.
"I have been taking Metso since I was sick, so I hope the manufacturer can resume supply as soon as possible!" Ms. Zhang said.
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