Paucity in New Zealand's Ibuprofen Supply, Demand Surges

An "unusually high demand," inventory problems, and shipment delays are to blame for the present Ibuprofen shortage, which New Zealand is facing burningly. The availability of liquid Ibuprofen, which is most frequently used to treat children's discomfort, continues to be an issue nationwide. Authorities and market participants in New Zealand are well aware that the problem was not a result of a shortage of equivalent medications abroad but rather of a rapid rise in domestic demand and shipment delays.  

Ibuprofen oral liquid supply issues have persisted since the winter of 2021, according to Pharmac, the Pharmaceutical Management Agency and the only organization in the world that both selects which medications to fund and manages a budget for those medications. When the problem first appeared, Ibuprofen suppliers stated that the Covid-19 outbreak was causing "extraordinary demand" for the medication, which was made worse by lengthy lead times for resupply (stock is ordered six to seven months in advance). Due to what has been called a "Tripledemic" of Covid-19, flu, and RSV, there have been severe shortages of children's Advil and Motrin (both of which include Ibuprofen) in the US and Canada as well.

Fresh stock of Ibuprofen entered the nation right before Christmas last month, in December 2022, but it took longer for it to go through quality assurance and be shipped out because of the holiday. According to Pharmac's statement, the supplier received some Ibuprofen liquid stock by air freight in December, due to which it had taken longer to pass quality testing and enter the supply chain. Up until the following marine shipment, which is scheduled to arrive by the end of the month or early February, supply would continue to be under-allocated. All backorders would be filled once that was received, according to Pharmac. Although market players anticipated it would "probably take a little bit to be freely available," they are optimistic that the bottleneck will be resolved by the end of January.

A market analyst claims that although certain backorders are still unfulfilled, a sizable shipment that is comparable to nearly four months' worth of stock arrived in New Zealand this week. To improve stock levels and prepare for another severe flu season, Ibuprofen suppliers have increased their ordering by twofold compared to last year.