"Concerns Over Cold Medicine Supply Shortage" ... MFDS Operates 'Rapid Response System'

Monitoring Supply of Antipyretic Analgesics and Cough Expectorants
"Currently Judged Sufficient Supply Compared to Confirmed Cases"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As concerns about the unstable supply of cold medicine rise due to the resurgence of COVID-19, the government is stepping up inspections to ensure the smooth supply of antipyretic analgesics, cough and phlegm medicines, and pediatric syrups.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 4th that it will establish and begin operating a "Cold Medicine Rapid Response System" starting on the 8th, in collaboration with the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, and the Korea Drug Distributors Association, to address the concentration of cold medicine supply on specific items or imbalanced situations in some regional pharmacies.

The Cold Medicine Rapid Response System operates by identifying cold medicines with unstable supply on the ground, after which pharmaceutical companies verify and notify whether supply is possible.

First, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association selects 10 cold medicine items weekly that are identified as having unstable supply, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety inputs these items, along with lists of medicines with the same ingredients, into the Cold Medicine Rapid Response System through the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association.

Pharmaceutical companies check the product list in the Cold Medicine Rapid Response System and enter the "supply availability" based on the stock status of the products. Pharmacies can then check the items marked as "supply available" by pharmaceutical companies in the system and request the necessary cold medicines from wholesalers or others.

Earlier, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety began monitoring the supply status of cold medicines in March during the Omicron pandemic surge and stopped in early July as the wave subsided. However, due to a faster-than-expected resurgence, monitoring resumed on the 1st of this month, with pharmaceutical companies reporting production, import, and distribution volumes every two weeks.

From July 18 to 31, monitoring of the supply status of 1,839 cold medicine items produced or imported by 181 pharmaceutical manufacturing and import companies showed that production, import volumes, and stock levels were maintained at a certain level compared to demand. During this period, 168 companies produced or imported and distributed 1,159 cold medicine items. Comparing the number of treatable patients calculated from production, import, shipment, and stock volumes with the approximately 570,000 weekly confirmed COVID-19 cases from July 25 to 31, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explained that the supply is sufficient.

An official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said, "We expect that the operation of the Cold Medicine Rapid Response System and monitoring of cold medicine supply status will help alleviate supply instability," adding, "We will strive to ensure that the public can purchase cold medicines without inconvenience."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.