(Yicai Global) Dec. 30 -- China’s production of ibuprofen and paracetamol, two fever and pain-reducing drugs, has increased more than five times since the start of the month to 190 million tablets a day, according to the minister for industry and information technology.

China has made about 2.5 billion of these two drugs since Dec. 1, Wang Jiangping said during a press briefing yesterday. Output capacity has reached 202 million pills a day, he added.

Daily production peaked at about 1.1 million bottles, with aminophen xanamine used to treat children reaching 15.7 million packs, mostly meeting the country’s needs. 

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has strengthened the allocation and supply of drugs to regions at greater need and enhanced cross-provincial deployment to ensure overall production and stocks of key medical supplies, Wang said.

A total of 174 million pills of ibuprofen, 60 million pills of paracetamol, and antigen test kits for more than 550 million people had been sent to key regions across China as of Dec. 28.

The country’s medical sector has a solid foundation and sufficient production capacity to meet the demand for drugs, Wang said. 

With the joint efforts of all parties, the capacity of Chinese medical material producers has been released, leading to a rapid rise in production, Wang pointed out, adding that the MIIT will further improve the allocation and delivery of drugs to address issues with hard-to-find medications.

Editor: Martin Kadiev