(Yicai Global) Jan. 18 -- China has been ramping up production of key medicines and equipment to battle the surge in Covid-19 cases, with daily output of oral treatment Azvudine jumping 148 percent since New Year’s Day to 744,000 bottles. 

Azvudine is included under China’s medical insurance at a price of CNY11.58 (USD1.71) a bottle, and production is now sufficient to meet demand, Tian Yulong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told reporters today.

The two key fever drugs, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, were in short supply last year with many pharmacies running out of stock, but their production has reached 5.14 billion tablets so far this year, he said.

In terms of medical devices, output of ventilators has soared 239 percent from New Year's Day, reaching 1,808 units a day. Daily production of oxygen generators is now over 20,000 units, enough to meet the basic needs of medical institutions, while finger-clip oximeter output is more than 460,000 a day, Tian noted.

Tian also said the ministry and other departments will prioritize the needs of key areas. Since mid-December, drugs have been distributed through big e-commerce platforms and local drug guarantee platforms, benefiting more than 60 million people. 

The ministry said it has fully guaranteed national demand for key medical materials for elderly and child welfare centers and it is working with the education department to ensure the supply of key medical materials in colleges and universities nationwide.

The industry ministry will step up support for key medical material enterprises next to steady production, improve supply, and coordinate deliveries, Tian said.

Editor: Tom Litting