Demand for Antipyretic Drug Strikes Again, Restarting the Battle of iBuprofen

Ibuprofen APIs and preparations are once again experiencing sales growth due to the recurrence of COVID-19 after the previous boom of antipyretic drug.

We know that the preparation of antipyretic drugs in China has multiple symbols, with "ibuprofen tablets" as the keyword, 381 entries can be searched on the official website of the NMPA, excluding such interference as "ibuprofen arginine tablets". 

There are also ibuprofen capsules and suspensions, and it is the suspension that was blown up previously. The reason is simple: the suspension is indicated for children, who often come first in the event of a drug shortage. Of course, in addition to ibuprofen, there are components such as acetaminophen that can reduce fever. 

All API enterprises benefit when preparations containing a particular component are purchased in large quantities. Based on inquiries, at present, ibuprofen API, there is several in China, including Zhuhai Rundu Pharmaceutical, Shandong Xinhua Pharmaceutical, Huazhong Pharmaceutical, Hubei Biocause Heilen Pharmaceutical, Huadong Medicine (Xi'an) Bohua Pharmaceutical, Good Doctor Pharmaceutical, Taizhou Xinning Pharmaceutical, etc.

But we should know that API is different from others, once the preparation enterprise chooses you, and then changes to increase the manufacturer, it has to go through the procedure. It also means that time-honored API companies are prone to have downstream preparation enterprise to work with. Even if the price of the latter API companies has a slight advantage, they have to comply with the first-come, first-served rule.

There are now drugs available for the virus in China, but given the price and access to purchase, more people, like those above, may choose to purchase the drugs on their own. With the pain still tolerable, price and channel always influence the market layout of the drug. 

In the face of the demand for ibuprofen and this uptick in the stock market, it is important to note that some households may still have a lot of prepared medication to be consumed. In the short term, it may not cause a lot of growth. Pharmaceutical-based consumption is always about consumption as a growth point, not long-term holding. Holding stockpiles for a long period of time is an emergency preparedness only for specific institutions of the country, not applicable to the general public consumption. So the rise in the stock market is more emotional than supported by adequate underpinning. 

Therefore, even in the face of a seemingly inflated market, API enterprises will avoid involution. As early as April, Heilen Pharmaceutical reported a reduction in ibuprofen API production capacity to circumvent low-price competition in the international market. Products are also needed to be optimized, their purity to be improved and their competitiveness to be increased. 

After all, the preparation enterprise is downstream of the API, a moment of fever can easily lead to market confusion and blind follow-up, most likely to cause a massive pressure of goods. Like the Azvudine tablets some time ago, they were under direct pressure to be transformed into an AIDS drug in a suddenly receding epidemic. The previous devotion and passion were completely destroyed. Even though generic drugs have a huge therapeutic surface, it is still important to avoid similar situations. 

Theoretically, there will not be a repeat of the last shortage of antipyretic drugs in this outbreak. As for the market for antiviral drugs, there may not be a blowout either. If the poisonous strain remains the same this time, most people, how they survived last time, can do the same. This is a huge shock to the antivirals that didn't make it onto the scene last time. It is also difficult to drive the recognition of drugs by the propaganda of medical experts, unless the disease is so serious that it has been admitted to the hospital, the public may be more likely to choose the treatment plan and old drugs that have been used.