Korea to designate substitutes for discontinued Tylenol products in second half

Tylenol 80 mg for children [Photo provided by Tylenol]

South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said it is working to address a supply gap in fever and pain reducer Tylenol products, as some products are not available at local convenience stores following the manufacturer’s relocation of its production out of the country.

“There is a significant stockpile of some Tylenol products (Tylenol 80 mg and 160 mg for children) and there are doses intended for relicensing after offshoring, so we are monitoring the situation in consideration of inventory utilization and possible relicensing,” the ministry said on Tuesday.

The announcement follows a report by Maeil Business Newspaper that the Korean government has been neglecting the shortage of some Tylenol products for more than a year.

“The supply to convenience stores has not been interrupted as the stock that has been produced has been distributed,” the ministry said, explaining that “there are substitutes for safety medicines such as children‘s Brufen syrup and children’s Tylenol suspension.”

“We will decide in the second half of the year whether it is necessary to revoke the designation of the two items that have been discontinued and designate additional substitutes,” it said.

Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Park Min-soo pledged to take systematic measures to manage the supply and demand of medicines that may be in short supply, including improving the system and overhauling the information system.