New figures from the National Institute of Public Health (FHI) show that sales of paracetamol and ibuprofen increased at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The half-year figures from the wholesale-based drug statistics at the FHI show that the most common drugs sold in both pharmacies and grocery stores increased by 2% compared with the same period of last year.
For paracetamol and ibuprofen, the statistics show a significant increase in sales in March.
35% of the total sales in the first half of the year took place in March, which coincides with the time when the coronavirus pandemic came to Norway.
Hoarding effect?
“This may indicate a hoarding effect in connection with the country shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic,” pharmacist and senior adviser Kristine Olsen in the FHI’s department for drug statistics noted.
Over-the-counter sales of paracetamol measured in doses increased by 6% in the first half of the year.
A total of 5.1 million over-the-counter paracetamol packs were sold during the period.
With regard to ibuprofen, sales of over-the-counter packs increased by 7% measured in doses in the first half of 2020.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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