The Philippines has set a purchase limit on common flu medicines such as paracetamol as people report difficulty in buying well-known brands of drugs during the Omicron surge.
To prevent hoarding of flu medicines, the government is capping the purchase of over-the-counter drugs until the Department of Health deems the supply "stable" based on a joint memorandum circular issued with the Department of Trade and Industry on Monday, January 10.
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The purpose of the order according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Health (DOH) "is to prevent artificial shortage and price escalation of over-the-counter flu medicines, and strictly ensure the availability of the same until such time that their supplies become stable."
Here are the purchase limits set by the DOH and the DTI:
Filipinos were also advised against online selling of medicines unless they have secured a permit from the Food and Drug Administration.
COVID-19 cases in the country have been on the rise since the start of the year driven by the hyper-contagious Omicron variant, prompting households to stock up on fever and flu medicines.