Flu Cases Surge in China, Leaving Antivirals in Short Supply

 

• Country deals with influenza’s rise after Covid reopening
• Empty drugstore shelves reminiscent of pandemic-era shortages

A spike in flu cases is fueling a shortage of antivirals at Chinese pharmacies, with empty shelves reminiscent of the drug frenzy triggered by the explosive Covid outbreak that accompanied the country’s reopening. 

Supplies of the medicine, known by its generic name oseltamivir and sometimes sold as Tamiflu, have appeared to run low at both brick-and-mortar and online pharmacies across parts of China in recent days, with some stores selling out their floor stocks and only offering deliveries that will take days to arrive, local media reported over the weekend. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-27/flu-cases-surge-in-china-leaving-antivirals-in-short-supply