Hanoi resident Quang, 35, was requested by family in Bac Giang Province, which borders the capital metropolis, if he might assist purchase a field of the molnupiravir drug.
On Sunday, he checked with a number of teams on social media to see if he might purchase the drug on-line.
Shortly after, he obtained dozens of provides to promote the drug.
Some left a cellphone quantity for him to contact, some marketed 96 made-in-Vietnam tablets for VND1 million ($44). Others despatched him pictures of medication, together with these imported from India, for VND1 million and extra.
“There are too many sellers, too many costs. Some even provided me wholesale offers, however all transactions are made on-line and I couldn’t inform which one was credible,” Quang stated.
Lastly, he determined to purchase a field of Molnupiravir Stella as “it was the one on the newspaper.”
His relative in Bac Giang had contracted Covid-19 4 days earlier and been experiencing signs of fatigue, chills and fever. Whereas the affected person was already registered with the commune’s medical middle, shopping for molnupiravir was not attainable with out a physician’s prescription.
The Ministry of Well being authorised three anti-Covid-19 medication containing molnupiravir for emergency use final month and a number of other drug shops have began promoting them.
Nevertheless, many individuals haven’t been capable of purchase them as a result of drug shops will solely promote molnupiravir medication to Covid-19 sufferers with paperwork to substantiate their an infection and a legitimate physician’s prescription.
Final week, Khue, 40, one other Hanoi resident, visited many drug shops to get the drugs for her husband, however nobody agreed to promote it to her with out a prescription with a stamp from medical doctors.
Her husband acquired Covid-19 for the primary time in January and as he was scuffling with lengthy Covid, he acquired contaminated once more, not too long ago. He desires to take the drug and get the virus out his system as quickly as attainable.
The household can not attain out to the medical middle of their ward for wanted paperwork as it’s overloaded with sufferers.
On her good friend’s recommendation, Khue purchased two packing containers of molnupiravir at VND300,000 every from a web-based vendor named Phuong Anh.
“The extra I get the drug the extra I can promote because the demand is so excessive,” stated Phuong Anh.
Anh is promoting Vietnam-made drug at VND750,000 per field of 100 tablets and VND250,000-300,000 per field of 20 tablets. The Indian drug will price 3 times increased as it’s simpler, she added.
In HCMC, Huy, who advertises himself as a pharmacist with 20 years of expertise, is promoting molnupiravir to whoever desires it.
He stated he has been promoting out repeatedly. Huy is providing completely different manufacturers, with product costs starting from VND250,000 to VND1.2 million.
Public well being danger
Drug producers, together with Boston Pharmaceutical JSC Vietnam and Sellapharm J.V. Co. Ltd, have confirmed that they’ll solely provide medication beneath contract to pharmacies and never retail them available in the market.
On March 5, the Ministry of Well being proposed that the prime minister permits folks to make use of video recording of a affected person taking the fast take a look at and displaying the optimistic outcome for getting molnupiravir from drug shops with a view to keep away from additional overloading of the healthcare system.
“It’s very harmful when folks flip to the black marketplace for this drug as they may find yourself shopping for counterfeit merchandise, to not point out pay excessive costs,” stated medical professional Tran Si Tuan, former editor-in-chief of Suc Khoe & Doi Tune, a publication of the Well being Ministry.
Physician Do Van Dung, head of the Public Well being Division of the HCMC College of Medication and Pharmacy, stated “in taking the medication bought on-line with out steering from medical doctors, each the standard and amount of the medication are usually not assured and this might result in drug resistance, making a public well being danger.”
