Expectant Mothers Facing 'Fear' Before Childbirth... Jungwoo Pharmaceutical Raises Price of Labor Induction Drug by 40% but Still Announces 'Sold Out'

Concerns Over Delivery Procedure Disruptions Due to Herbal Medicine Supply Shortage

JW Pharmaceutical has halted the supply of the labor-inducing drug 'Oxytocin,' which monopolizes the domestic market, raising concerns about disruptions in obstetric deliveries.

According to the medical community on the 12th, Dr. A, an obstetrician at a general hospital in Gyeongbuk, stated on his social media on the 10th, "We have been notified by the pharmaceutical company that even Oxytocin (uterine contraction agent), a drug fundamentally used in the field of obstetrics related to pregnancy and childbirth, is out of stock." He added, "Our hospital uses about 150 ampoules of Oxytocin injections per month, but we received an out-of-stock notice when only 40 ampoules remained."

Dr. A also posted a photo of the out-of-stock notice letter sent by JW Pharmaceutical to the hospital on the 22nd of last month. The letter stated, "Due to delays in supply caused by difficulties in procuring the main raw materials, Oxytocin injections are out of stock, and supply is expected to resume in January next year."

Dr. A lamented, "The peak period for deliveries is usually around the end and beginning of the year, but the drug is out of stock during this critical time," adding, "A regressive phenomenon is occurring where even the most basic delivery-related treatments are increasingly reverting to past conditions."

Public notice of JW Pharmaceutical's oxytocin supply suspension disclosed by Mr. A on Facebook. Photo by Facebook

Oxytocin is a drug used during labor induction, one of the most common procedures in obstetrics. It induces uterine contractions to promote childbirth or treat uterine bleeding. In South Korea, only JW Pharmaceutical and Yuhan Corporation produce it, but recently both companies have experienced supply disruptions.

In particular, JW Pharmaceutical's Oxytocin product holds over 50% of the market share and is the most widely used in hospitals. Previously, in August last year, JW Pharmaceutical also suspended product supply due to difficulties in raw material procurement but resumed supply after the Ministry of Health and Welfare raised the drug price by 40%. However, this time, they have again notified a supply suspension. JW Pharmaceutical stated that they plan to advance the supply resumption from January next year to next month.

Meanwhile, Yuhan Corporation reported the shortage of Oxytocin injection supply to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 29th of last month but plans to resume supply within this month.