Children's medicines "Nurofen" and "Panadol" disappeared from pharmacies

According to RBC, one of the foreign manufacturing companies, amid increased demand, stopped supplying its paracetamol drug to Russia. As a result, the supply of French and British drugs Efferalgan, Panadol and Nurofen for Children has fallen sharply in pharmacies. These drugs previously accounted for 98% of the Russian antipyretic market, with Nurofen accounting for over 92% of sales.

By March 22, out of 9710 pharmacies in Moscow and the Moscow Region, Efferalgan for Children in a 90 ml bottle could be purchased only in 290 pharmacies, Panadol for Children suspension - in 36, Nurofen for Children in bottles - in 174. On many marketplaces these drugs are also missing.

Since the beginning of the military special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, pharmacies have been in a feverish demand for many drugs, including antipyretic drugs for children, which contain paracetamol and ibuprofen.

“From February 28 to March 6, Russians bought more than 484 thousand packages of both drugs, while in 2021 - 244 thousand for the same period”, - the report says.

According to experts, it is possible to replace the falling volumes of ibuprofen in syrups, including Russian analogues, as well as generics of Indian and Polish production, but this will not happen immediately.

The problem with drugs is provoked by the disruption of supply chains and increased consumer demand.

The Ministry of Health asked patients not to create a stir and expressed hope that the situation would stabilize in the near future. For most scarce drugs, there are Russian counterparts.

The situation is worse for those who need rare drugs that are not produced in the Russian Federation. So, on March 22, it became known that the unparalleled vital hormonal drug for the treatment of the thyroid gland "L-thyroxine" ("Eutiroks") ended in pharmacies in Primorye. It is made only in Germany and France. Its delivery is expected within two weeks, said Anastasia Khudchenko, Minister of Health of the region. Officials expressed the hope that patients dependent on this medicine managed to make the necessary supplies in order to somehow hold out during this time.