Beijing revs up supply of medicines, services for virus-infected residents

BEIJING -- Beijing is beefing up the production and supply of drugs, especially analgesics and antipyretics, to meet the needs of people infected with COVID-19.

The local drug administration and other authorities have sent joint working groups of more than 50 people to five large pharmaceutical wholesale enterprises in the Chinese capital, cooperating to alleviate the current shortage of epidemic prevention drugs.

There are about 10 people in each group, who are stationed in these enterprises to guide and support the enterprises to rev up the delivery of medical equipment and drugs.

According to the data of China Resources Pharmaceutical Commercial Group Co., Ltd., the company has supplied more than 3.5 million boxes of anti-epidemic drugs including fever medications to over 4,000 clients across Beijing in the past week, including nearly 300 hospitals, more than 2,200 community health centers and over 1,500 retail pharmacies.

To meet the needs of fever patients seeking medical treatment and relieve the pressure on fever clinics in medical institutions, a makeshift fever clinic was put into use on Wednesday at the Guang'an Gymnasium in Beijing's Xicheng District. It is equipped with a temporary pharmacy and medicine storehouse, providing sufficient antipyretic drugs and materials.

The makeshift clinic is mainly organized by Xuanwu Hospital under the Capital Medical University, and the medics come from major hospitals in Xicheng District.

"The drugs we store are the main ones we currently use to target fever, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen. In addition, there are also drugs to relieve relevant symptoms," said Li Jia, vice president of Xuanwu Hospital.

The country is making all-out efforts to ramp up the production of key medicines, said Zhou Jian, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, at a press conference on Wednesday.

Zhou said that the supply of medicines to key locations, including medical institutions and nursing homes for the elderly, will be prioritized. Large pharmacies will be mobilized to develop online platforms to facilitate the delivery of medicines to patients in need.

JD Health International Inc., the health care branch of e-commerce giant JD.com, is cooperating with pharmaceutical companies to ensure the stability of the supply and price of anti-epidemic drugs.

The Beijing Municipal Postal Administration said Wednesday that it will strive to have enough couriers on standby within one week, in order to basically meet the normal delivery needs of the city.

It will prioritize the delivery of medicines and epidemic prevention materials in areas with higher demand, the administration said.