Sales of flu treatments have decreased significantly

After 2 years of COVID-19 Pandemic

The market for treating infectious diseases in the aftermath of COVID-19 has shrunk

The sales of flu ts decreasxed by 99.8% from two years ago

The outpatient prescription market also fluctuated two years after the landing of COVID-19.

 

Sales in the pharmaceutical market, which is mainly used for infectious diseases such as influenza (flu) treatments, antibiotics, and expectorants, have decreased significantly.

 

The flu treatment market has virtually disappeared.

 

According to UBIST on the 24th, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for flu treatments last year was only 46 million won.

 

It decreased 99.5% in a year from 8.8 billion won in 2020.

 

Compared to 22.5 billion won in 2019, two years ago, the market size decreased by 99.8%.

 

Flu treatment is the market where the most dramatic change has occurred since the spread of COVID-19.

 

After the spread of COVID-19, the flu treatment market has virtually disappeared as the number of flu patients has plummeted due to strengthening personal hygiene management such as washing hands and wearing masks.

 

According to The KCDA, since March 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread in earnest, the number of suspected patients per 1,000 outpatients has never exceeded the epidemic standard of 5.8 patients.

 

Since recording 6.3 in the first week of March 2020, it has recorded less than five in nearly two years.

 

This year, only 2.1 and 1.8 suspected flu patients per 1,000 outpatients in the first to third weeks of January.

 

The flu treatment market has recorded less than 100 million won for six consecutive quarters since the market size recorded 1.8 billion won in the second quarter of 2020.

 

In the fourth quarter of last year, the market size was less than 10 million won even though it was the flu season.

 

In the case of Tamiflu, a leading flu treatment, the prescription amount reached 37.4 billion won in 2016, but only 40 million won last year.

 

The antibiotic market was also damaged by the COVID-19 incident

Last year, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for oral cephalosporin drugs was KRW 1.6.6 billion, down 8.0% from the previous year.

 

It fell 28.2% from 27.1 billion won in 2020.

 

Cephalosporin drugs are widely used antibiotics for pneumonia, sore throat, tonsillitis, and bronchitis.

 

It is analyzed that the prolonged COVID-19 flu or a sharp drop in cold patients also affected the antibiotic market.

 

In the case of other antibiotics, the damage is even greater.

 

Last year, the prescription size of oral PCN drugs was 105.2 billion won, down 15.7% from the previous year.

 

It decreased 40.8% in two years from 182.2 billion won in 2019 before COVID-19 hit.

 

The situation was similar in the prescription market for other antibiotics such as Macrolides and similar drugs.

 

Last year's prescriptions for Macrolides and others amounted to 86 billion won, down 6.6% from the previous year.

 

Compared to two years ago, it fell 35.5%.

 

The market size of expectorants used for phlegm and coughs in patients with colds and flu has also been greatly reduced.

 

In 2019, the size of the prescription for expectorants recorded 182.2 billion won, down 29.8% to 127.8 billion won in 2020.

 

Last year, it fell 15.7% again to 107.8 billion won.

 

Last year, the prescription amount of expectorants shrank 40.8% from two years ago.

 

Last year, the prescription performance of expectorants was 55.1 billion won, down 28.1% from the previous year.

 

It was reduced 53.5% from 118.3 billion won in 2019.

 

Prescriptions for last year fell 57.1% and 50.5%, respectively, from two years ago.