Chinese turning to Indian medicine on black market amid Covid spike

The restricted provide and steep costs of China’s Covid medicine have compelled many to go for cheaper however illegally imported generic medicine from India.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 28, 2022 18:12 IST

China is witnessing an unprecedented surge in Covid circumstances (File)

By India Today Web Desk: Chinese nations have now turned to the black marketplace for generic Covid-19 medicine because the nation is coping with an unprecedented outbreak with restricted provides of permitted antivirals.

China permitted two Covid-19 antivirals this yr – Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Azvudine, an HIV drug from Chinese agency Genuine Biotech. Both can be found solely in sure hospitals. The restricted provide and steep value have compelled many to go for cheaper however illegally imported generic medicine from India.

However, these generic medicine don’t have the approval of the Chinese authorities and promoting them is a punishable offence.

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Topics like “anti-Covid Indian generic drugs sold at 1,000 yuan (US$144) per box” have been trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with customers exchanging messages and recommendations on methods to pay money for the medicines, reported the South China Morning Post.

Four sorts of generic anti-Covid medicine from India are being bought illegally within the Chinese markets – Primovir, Paxista, Molnunat and Molnatris.

While Paxlovid prices 2,980 yuan per field, one field of India-made medicine might be purchased for 530 to 1,600 yuan, in line with on-line portal Tencent News.

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WHAT CHINA’S LAWS SAY?

Under China’s drug administration legislation, medicines not permitted in China however marketed overseas aren’t recognized as counterfeit. However, these concerned of their distribution face administrative penalties for unlawful imports with no licence.

Public well being specialists and medical doctors in China have warned of the potential dangers of those medicines and have urged folks to not purchase them illegally.

Beijing is predicted to start out distributing Paxlovid and Azvudine to group hospitals, in line with state media experiences on Monday.

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Published On:

Dec 28, 2022