On January 6, the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia receives written interview on COVID-19 medicines supply in China by Indonesian media Kumparan.com. The full text is as follows:

1. Q: Some medicines like Vitamin C, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen etc. currently are in shortage in China because of COVID-19 and flu. People from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan and other top-tier cities are reportedly unable to get medicine anywhere in local stores. We wish to confirm this with the Government of the People’s Republic of China?

A: On the whole, the production capacity of COVID medicines can basically meet the needs of patients. Due to the recent surging market demand, there is a temporary shortage of some varieties in some places. The Chinese Government has gone all out to encourage pharmaceutical enterprises to steady, maximize and expand production as soon as possible, increase supplies of key medicines, and provide guidance for reasonable, orderly and targeted medicine distribution. The difficulties in medicine purchasing have been effectively alleviated. China’s pharmaceutical industry has a solid foundation. With the joint efforts of all parties, the production capacity of relevant medicines will fully meet the needs of the people soon.

2. Q: China is among the top 6-7 exporters of pharmaceutical products, and especially strong in pharmaceutical ingredient sector with low cost production. It is said that the Government of China even considers importing anti-flu/COVID product from other countries to fill high domestic demand. Is it true?

A: Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises have strong production capacities. According to the statistics, 446 domestic companies in China hold production licenses for ibuprofen, 104 of which were put into operation in 2021; 986 companies are permitted to produce paracetamol, 111 of which were put into operation from 2021.

The raw material supply for ibuprofen and paracetamol is sufficient, for the production need in China. With the coordination and support of the Chinese Government, pharmaceutical enterprises are gradually increasing production capacity. For example, Shandong Xinhua Pharmaceutical Co., one of the two major ibuprofen manufacturers in China, has 8,000 tons of annual capacity for ibuprofen raw materials, far beyond the domestic demand in past years. Anqiu Lu’an Pharmaceutical Co. can produce nearly 30,000 tons of paracetamol raw material, twice that of domestic demand in previous years. Meanwhile, China is also speeding up emergency review and approval of COVID medicines to meet clinical drug needs.

3. Q: China is the largest supplier of pharmaceutical products to Indonesia, with net value of 2.15 billion USD (2021), representing 49.3% of Indonesia’s total import of such products. Will the situation in China affect the supply of certain pharmaceutical ingredients such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and antibiotic to Indonesia? We learnt from local importers that shipments of pharmaceutical ingredients from China, such as paracetamol, had been delayed or not shipped for 3 weeks. Does China stop or ban the export of certain pharmaceutical ingredients like paracetamol to Indonesia or overseas recently to meet domestic demand first? How long will the situation last and when would it be normal?

A: China is the major producer and exporter of medicines like paracetamol, ibuprofen and their raw materials. Chinese enterprises are ready and capable of adjusting production capacity in a timely manner in response to the global market changes to meet domestic and international demand. In the first 11 months of 2022, China exported 50,000 tons of raw materials of antipyretic drugs, a year-on-year increase of over 20%. It is a strong boost to the global solidarity against COVID-19, as an important contribution of China.

Recently, the development of COVID situation in some parts of China has affected the attendance rate in some factories, which has delayed the supply of some products to domestic and foreign markets to some extent. But such delay is temporary, and understood by partners from home and abroad. At the same time, China is making every effort to provide more support to manufacturers producing medical supplies in getting production back to normal as soon as possible. We believe it will not take long.