Concerns Over Cold Medicine Shortage and Quality Issues 'Drop'... Daewon Pharmaceutical's Smart Factory Runs Without Interruption

Jincheon Factory Producing 'Koldaewon' and 'Kodaewon'

Due to Cold Medicine Shortage,
Running Full Shifts Overnight and in Rotation Still Can't Stockpile
Continuous Expansion and Extension of Production Capacity Underway

Quality Issues 'Already Resolved'
Production Resumed Last Month with Non-Separating Formulation

"Due to the high flu index, products are continuously being shipped without the usual off-season slowdown. We are operating all six lines at the Jincheon plant to produce respiratory medicines at maximum capacity. We anticipate full operation until December, and employees are working overnight shifts."

"We improved the quality in accordance with the requests from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Since August, we have been producing products that prevent phase separation within the expiration date."

An employee at Daewon Pharmaceutical's Jincheon plant is holding the produced children's cold medicine 'Col Daewon Kids Pen Syrup.'
[Photo by Daewon Pharmaceutical]

Daewon Pharmaceutical, known as the 'strongest in respiratory medicines,' has launched an all-out effort to supply cold medicine by operating its Jincheon plant, which boasts a 'smart factory,' at full capacity. The Jincheon plant produces Daewon Pharmaceutical's key liquid formulations (such as syrups and suspensions), including 'Coldaewon' (over-the-counter medicine) and 'Kodaewon' (prescription medicine).

At the production line of the Jincheon plant visited on the 19th, cold medicine syrup was literally being produced nonstop. Proudly known as the 'largest liquid formulation production facility in Korea' with a production capacity of 42 tons, the Jincheon plant can produce 36,000 pouches per hour and 2,856,000 pouches per day on a single line. Despite maximizing production capacity through overnight and two-shift work, products are continuously shipped out without any stockpiling.

This is because the recent flu outbreak has caused a shortage of children's fever reducers and cold medicines once again. According to a recent survey conducted by the Gyeonggi-do Pharmaceutical Association among 492 members, 99.4% (489 people) reported difficulties due to unstable medicine supply, and on mom cafes and other platforms, there have been repeated complaints about the lack of cold medicine.

An automated guided vehicle (AGV) is transporting packaged pharmaceuticals at Daewon Pharmaceutical's Jincheon plant.
[Photo by Daewon Pharmaceutical]

Baek Seung-young, Director of the Manufacturing Support Team at the Jincheon plant, said, "Normally, this is the off-season, but due to the high flu index, products are continuously being shipped without an off-season." He added, "We will provide sufficient compensation until December and conduct overnight shifts to ensure there is no disruption in production." Currently, the lines producing prescription medicines Kodaewon S and Kodaewon Forte are operating overnight shifts, while over-the-counter medicines like Coldaewon and Coldaewon Kids are produced through two-shift work to maximize production. Baek also mentioned, "Next year, we plan to secure more personnel to operate the prescription medicine line in three shifts and the over-the-counter medicine line in two shifts," adding, "We also plan to expand the plant to establish facilities for producing not only liquid formulations but also solid dosage forms."

The automated process also has the significant advantage of preventing contamination that can occur during human intervention. The Jincheon plant applies automation from the raw material input stage, where the exact amount of raw materials is automatically added as specified, and the finished medicines are packaged in pouches without any contact with outside air. Even after packaging, the processes of moving to the warehouse, stacking, and shipping are all performed by automated guided vehicles (AGVs) following magnetic lines in separate spaces without human presence. Although errors sometimes occur and some parts still require human assistance, minimizing human intervention reduces the possibility of contamination.

Daewon Pharmaceutical Jincheon Plant Exterior [Photo by Lee Chunhee]

The company emphasized that through the advantages of this smart factory, they have overcome previously raised quality issues. Recently, Coldaewon Kids Pen Syrup was subject to a voluntary recall and manufacturing and sales suspension recommended by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety due to a 'phase separation' phenomenon where the product did not mix properly.

However, no violations were found in the manufacturing process or quality control at that time. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also confirmed through expert consultation that "the actual risk is low even if phase-separated products are divided and consumed." Nevertheless, since there is a risk of consuming slightly less or more of the main ingredient when dividing phase-separated products, and considering the nature of the formulation where phase separation can occur, improvement measures by the manufacturer were deemed necessary, leading to the related actions.

Daewon Pharmaceutical resumed production last month of improved products that remain stable without phase separation. A company representative explained, "We improved the quality according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's requests and resumed production of products without phase separation," adding, "The product has a shelf life of two years, and we have improved it so that phase separation does not occur within that period."

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