The supply of painkillers containing acetaminophen is largely stable except for the well known brand Panadol, Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Sunday, adding that it will discuss measures to curb bulk buying with suppliers on Monday.

FDA Director-General Wu Show-mei (???) told CNA that the supply of drugs containing acetaminophen -- the active ingredient found in Panadol -- remained ample.

According to the FDA, the domestic inventory of acetaminophen painkillers currently number 54 million courses, while 910,000 courses remain in stock for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen.

Wu said the FDA and the suppliers will discuss related issue on Monday to determine if further controls are needed to prevent bulk buying.

While there are currently no restrictions on purchases of the drug, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (???) told lawmakers last week that the ministry has asked pharmacies to advise customers against snapping up related drugs in unusually large quantities.

According to the health minister, pharmaceutical manufacturers have also been asked to prioritize orders from hospitals, to ensure there is no shortage of painkillers for patients.

Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Victor Wang (???) added last week that the government does not rule out implementing a name-based rationing system for people buying painkillers at pharmacies if the massive buying continues.

The issue surfaced amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in China, where people are rushing to stock up on medications used to treat COVID-19, reduce fever and pain and ease the discomfort of cold and flu symptoms.

It is believed that some people in Taiwan have bought the medicines in bulk to send them to friends or families in China, resulting in a shortage of certain medicines in many places in Taiwan.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel