Paracetamol Prices Surge By 40 Per Cent In India As Coronavirus Outbreak Puts China On A Shutdown

Paracetamol, one of the most widely used drugs in India as pain reliever and a fever reducer, could see a price jump of about 40 per cent due to shutdowns in China with production of medicines, reports Livemint.

Used most commonly as analgesic or pain reliever, paracetamol has seen a sharp increase in price along with Azithromycin, an antibiotic used for treating a variety of bacterial infections.

Due to problems in logistics and interruption in supply chain, the Indian pharmaceutical industry could face shortages in finished drug formulations starting coming April. In order to have normalcy, supplies must be restored by the first week of the next month.

The coronavirus, has already taken nearly two thousand lives in China and the fear is growing that the world’s second largest economy is on the road to slowdown. The global supply lines that depend on production in China are already starting to feel the strain.

India has one of the largest shares when it comes to the supply of generic drugs. At present, India supplies 12 per cent of generic drugs.