"Suspicions Confirmed: 130,000 Syringes Hoarded—32 Companies Caught Hoarding Syringes"

Unfair Practices Exposed in Special Crackdown by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
Excessive Inventory and Overpricing Detected
"We Will Make Every Effort to Stabilize the Distribution Network"

Amid ongoing instability in the supply of syringes at medical sites, numerous cases of market disruption have been uncovered, including hoarding during distribution and the concentration of supply to specific clients.

Scene from the first special crackdown on syringe hoarding disclosed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 24th. Syringe stockpiles are piled up in a warehouse of a distribution company. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 24th that it had conducted a special nationwide crackdown on distributors to stabilize the syringe supply chain and detected 32 companies violating the syringe hoarding ban notice.

This crackdown, conducted from April 20 to 22, targeted companies with low sales volumes compared to incoming stock, those holding excessive inventory, those supplying disproportionately to specific clients, and those selling syringes at high prices.

The investigation found four companies that held syringes for more than five days without selling them, exceeding 150% of their average monthly sales volume, and 30 companies that supplied excessive quantities to the same buyers. Among these, two companies were found to have committed both violations: holding inventory in excess of 150% for more than five days and excessively supplying the same buyer.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to file complaints and issue corrective orders against the distributors caught in this crackdown in accordance with the Price Stabilization Act.

During the crackdown, Distributor A was found to have held over 130,000 syringes, equivalent to more than 150% of sales volume, for over five days. The authorities ordered the excess stock to be shipped within 24 hours to online shopping malls experiencing supply shortages. In addition, Distributor B was found to have sold more than 620,000 syringes—up to 59 times its average monthly sales volume—to 33 buyers, including Medical Institution C and Distributor D.

This crackdown was conducted to identify supply delays and the concentration of supply to specific clients that may occur during the distribution of syringes, and to secure a stable supply system.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is operating a "Syringe Hoarding Reporting Center" where hoarding activities can be reported. Reports are handled swiftly through data analysis and on-site inspections of the companies in question.

Oh Yoo-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, stated, "We will make every effort to normalize the distribution network to ensure the stable supply of syringes."

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