Photo: VCG

Chinese drug producer Yiling Pharmaceutical said on Tuesday that it is taking various measures to expand production of its traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Lianhua Qingwen to ensure market supply.

The supply price of Lianhua Qingwen has remained stable recently, so if consumers find price hikes at certain stores or platforms, it should be reported to the relevant local authorities, the company told its investors on a trading platform.

The clarification came amid controversy when consumers found that prices of Lianhua Qingwen have been surging recently due to tight supply.

The hashtag of "prices of Lianhua Qingwen capsules surge over threefold" went viral on China's social media platform Weibo.

Some stores lifted the prices of Lianhua Qingwen capsules from around 30 yuan to 102 yuan per box, domestic news outlets reported on Tuesday.

Local market watchers have already issued warnings against price hikes for drugs, such as cities in East China's Zhejiang Province and Beijing Municipality. Eight cities in Zhejiang have warned medical supplies operators and related units not to hoard and hike prices.

The Beijing Municipal Medical Products Administration said on Tuesday that the city puts 400,000 boxes of Lianhua Qingwen capsules or granules per day into the market and this should meet residents' demand, according to Beijing Daily.

Lianhua Qingwen is a kind of TCM used for the treatment of influenza. In February 2020, it was recommended for the treatment of COVID-19 by Chinese medical authorities.

Global Times