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Online sales of antiviral flu medicines reportedly skyrocketed in China over 100-fold from a year ago

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that online sales of antiviral flu medications reportedly increased more than 100-fold in China from a year earlier as news of citizen hoarding of antiviral flu medications spread (March 15).

According to the report, sales of the drug, which goes by the generic name oseltamivir, increased to roughly 533,100 units in the first 13 days of March on the Chinese e-commerce sites Taobao and Tmall, according to analytics tracking site Liandanlu. According to Bloomberg, the daily average volume increased 129-fold from the previous year.

Wang Ruizhe, who is a Shanghai-based healthcare analyst told Bloomberg: ‘People are more likely to panic following the massive Covid outbreak earlier. That combined with a relatively low stock of the antiviral led to a temporary supply-demand mismatch and price hikes.’

Ruizhe added: ‘It seems some people are hoarding the antiviral this time. The spread of flu among children is fanning anxiety among parents. The impact of the earlier Covid wave may have also fueled concern.’

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