Price of influenza A drug is in short supply, doubled
In recent days, the influenza A epidemic has spread to many provinces and cities, including many provinces in the Northwest mountains, causing many people to rush to buy medicine for treatment.
At pharmacies in the city centers of Son La, Hoa Binh, and Dien Bien, people were bustling in and out, most of them looking to buy Tamiflu.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong (Hoa Binh City, Hoa Binh Province) worried: "My child has had a high fever for two days now, the doctor prescribed Tamiflu but dozens of pharmacies don't have it, or if they do, the price is too high."
According to Ms. Luong, from the beginning of the epidemic, due to concerns, some families went to stockpile Tamiflu, causing a shortage.
At some pharmacies, the price of Tamiflu is currently ranging from 500,000 to 800,000 VND/box - double or even triple the previous price. Some places even require customers to buy additional vitamins or supplements before selling the flu medicine. Meanwhile, many pharmacies reported running out of stock early.
At Nga Cach Pharmacy - one of the major pharmacy chains in Hoa Binh City, when the reporter asked to buy this medicine, the sales staff said it had been out of stock since the peak of the flu epidemic. Currently, the goods are only coming in "dripping", enough to sell prescription drugs to customers.
Not far away, some pharmacies in the Long Chau Pharmacy system also no longer have this medicine.
Sales staff here said that since the outbreak of Influenza A, this medicine has often been in short supply.
University pharmacist Bui Thi Lan Huong - Owner of Boeing Pharmacy (Vu Ban town, Lac Son district) said: "Normally, the import price of this medicine is only about 300,000 VND/box, but now the price has almost doubled. The high import price has forced pharmacies to increase the selling price. Some places have increased the retail price up to 70,000 VND/pill".
"This drug is popular because it controls the virus in the body. However, if overused, it will lead to drug resistance. Therefore, people need to use the right dosage, according to the doctor's instructions, and should not use it indiscriminately," the female pharmacist advised.
Number of influenza A cases increases sharply, many mountainous provinces issue warnings
Doctor Ho Quoc An - Head of the Department of Ear - Nose - Throat, Hoa Binh General Hospital informed that not all cases of influenza A need to use Tamiflu.
"Patients should go to the doctor for advice, not buy and hoard medicine on their own, to avoid waste and create artificial scarcity," said Mr. An.
Also according to statistics from Hoa Binh Provincial General Hospital, from January 1, 2025 to February 12, 2025, the hospital received 156 medical examinations, tested for Influenza A virus and treated 43 inpatients.
This number has doubled compared to the same period in 2024 when there were only 78 medical examinations and 14 inpatient treatments.
In Tuyen Quang province, in the past 3 months alone at the provincial General Hospital, this medical facility has received more than 90 cases of influenza A, mostly elderly people and children. After active treatment, most patients are discharged after 5-7 days.
According to a report from the Center for Disease Control of Tuyen Quang province, in January 2025 alone, the locality recorded 736 cases of influenza A. The number of patients tends to increase compared to the same period every year.
Faced with the complicated developments of the flu epidemic, the Department of Health of Tuyen Quang province has issued a document requesting medical examination and treatment facilities in the province to deploy activities to strengthen monitoring and early detection of suspected cases of diseases that pose a risk of causing an epidemic.
Mr. La Dang Tai - Deputy Director of the Department of Health of Tuyen Quang province said that the local health sector especially recommends to people measures to prevent the complicated development of influenza A.
"Remember to keep warm and improve resistance for the elderly, children, and people with cardiovascular disease. When you have the flu and have a high fever, you need to go to the hospital immediately. Prevent from afar by improving resistance, wearing a mask when going out, and getting vaccinated once a year," Mr. Tai recommended.
