On December 15, 2022, the epidemic in Beijing surged, and a pharmacy was sold out of medicines. (YUXUAN ZHANG/AFP via Getty Images)
[The Epoch Times, February 18, 2023](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Li Yun) In the early days of the CCP’s loosening of the epidemic prevention and control measures, antipyretics were hard to find, and some people hoarded a large amount of ibuprofen and Lianhua through various channels Qingwen and other antipyretics are all accumulated in his hands now, and he doesn’t know what to do with them.
On February 18, the topic “What should I do with Ibuprofen Lianhua Qingwen at home” became a hot search topic.
Previously, “Hundreds of boxes of ibuprofen were thrown into the trash can” was also on Weibo’s hot search. Some netizens also posted that they bought 1,000 tablets of antipyretics, but now they are out of use, and they don’t know what to do with them.
There are also videos shared by netizens showing that a large amount of unopened ibuprofen was thrown in the trash bin downstairs together with other medicines. It is conservatively estimated that there are hundreds of boxes of these medicines.
A large number of similar incidents emerged, triggering public discussions on related topics.
The “Rule of Law Daily” survey found that many people hoarded too many medicines, and now they don’t know how to deal with the expired medicines that they can’t use up.
Li Chen, who lives in Shanghai, stocked up on various medicines last December, including ibuprofen, cephalosporins, coptis supernatant tablets, Ganmaoling granules… There were two layers of medicines on the desk at home.
Li Chen said that this was all snapped up online and offline, costing more than 2,000 yuan (RMB, the same below), and he even posted it on Moments to show off. Unexpectedly, not long following buying the medicines, most medicines are in sufficient supply and can be bought at any time.
Li Chen said angrily, “If you buy so many medicines, even if you get sick, you won’t be able to finish them by the expiration date!” She once went to the pharmacy to ask if she might repurchase, “the price is negotiable.” As a result, I was told that the drug will not be returned or exchanged following sale, and it may be illegal to buy back the drug.
According to reports, according to the Drug Administration Law, not only can personal drugs not be sold to pharmacies, but they can also be resold to other people at will. Drugstores cannot repurchase or resell at will, and most families can only keep the medicines in their hands until they expire.
On December 7 last year, the CCP suddenly loosened the extreme epidemic prevention and control measures that had been in place for three years without warning or preparation. Then the epidemic tsunami spread across China in an instant, causing the medical and funeral systems to collapse.
What followed was a shortage of antipyretic, cough, antiviral, and antibiotic drugs. There was a rush of people rushing for medicines.
Not only were domestic antipyretics and painkillers sold out, people even snatched them overseas, and even antipyretics that were several times more expensive than the price on online platforms were quickly sold out. A bottle of “Ibuprofen” was once fired to more than 3,000 yuan, and Pfizer’s new crown special drug was even fired to 50,000 yuan by scalpers.
At the end of December last year, the mainland medical information media “Cyberland” published an article disclosing that the authorities strictly controlled drugs during the three years of the epidemic. “Patients basically do not hoard drugs, and pharmaceutical companies cannot sell them.” This led to the closure of some pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies.
After the epidemic prevention was relaxed, the epidemic broke out, many pharmaceutical companies did not stock up, and production faced difficulties, making it difficult to find antipyretics. After the epidemic tsunami lasted for nearly two months, various medicines began to be supplied normally, and some people hoarded too many medicines and kept them in their hands.
Responsible editor: Lin Congwen
