Chinese turn to black market for generics

Ordinary residents in China are opting for cheaper but illegally imported generic drugs from India and users are sharing tips on Chinese social media platforms on where to get them.

Beijing, Dec 28: China's sudden easing of zero-COVID policy in response to widespread protests earlier this month has resulted in widespread medication shortages. As a result, Chinese residents are turning to the black market for generic coronavirus drugs made elsewhere and not approved for sale in China.

The problem in China has shot up due to a surge in COVID-19 numbers that was reportedly due to the BF.7 variant - a subvariant of Omicron BA.5 - days after the lockdown restrictions were eased. According to the Hong Kong-based newspaper 'The South China Morning Post', China has so far approved two Covid-19 antivirals this year - Pfizer's Paxlovid and Azvudine, an HIV drug from Chinese firm Genuine Biotech.

Last week, China Meheco Co reached a deal with Pfizer to import and distribute Paxlovid. Pfizer in August also announced a deal with Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical to make ingredients of Paxlovid in the country. Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalisation and death by 89 per cent, as per an interim analysis.

However, ordinary residents in China have pointed out that they were not able to buy Paxlovid despite the government importing thousands of boxes of this life-saving medicine. This is because they are available in limited supply and only available in certain hospitals or are offering imported medicines at hugely inflated prices, which in turn have compelled residents to opt for cheaper but illegally imported generic drugs from India.

Users are sharing information and tips on Chinese social media platforms on where to get illegally imported India-made generic drugs with topics like 'anti-Covid Indian generic drugs sold at 1,000 yuan (US$144) per box' were the top trending on Weibo. Several users also shared a picture of an advertisement for generic versions of Paxlovid made in India that can be shipped the same day as the payment date and arrive in two to three weeks.

Four kinds of generic anti-Covid drugs from India are being sold illegally in the Chinese market - under the brand names Primovir, Paxista, Molnunat and Molnatris. While Paxlovid is priced at 2,980 yuan per box (Rs 35,432 approx.), a box of made-in-India drugs can be bought for 530 yuan (Rs 6,300 approx.) to 1,600 yuan (Rs 19,000 approx.), the report mentioned.

A user on the Weibo platform said on December 17 that she was buying the generic Paxlovid made in Bangladesh because she had an elderly relative and couldn't get a hold of the medicine in China. She said in the post, which has now been removed, that while she had heard that China had imported tens of thousands of boxes of Paxlovid, ordinary residents were not able to access the potentially life-saving medicine.

Notably, Indian generics have not been approved by the Chinese government and selling them is a punishable offence. As per China's drug administration law, medicines marketed abroad but not approved in China are no longer identified as counterfeit, but those involved in their distribution still face administrative penalties on the charge of illegal imports without a licence. To bypass keyword censorship, certain e-commerce platforms have put the generics up for sale under euphemistic labels.

Urging people not to buy medicines through illegal means, including unlicensed salespersons on messaging app WeChat, health experts and doctors in China said that this could lead to potential health risks, the report further added.

It is unclear whether China is prepared to satisfy the huge demand. According to Dr Siddharth Sridhar, clinical assistant professor in the University of Hong Kong's Department of Microbiology. "Even if there is enough Paxlovid, for China's large population, a distribution infrastructure to get these pills to patients in time isn't something that can be set up overnight."