SINGAPORE, Dec 23 — Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice has imposed a limit on the number of Panadol packs each customer can buy, while Panadol manufacturer Haleon said that it is producing "record quantities” of the medicine, given the increased demand for over-the-counter fever, cold and flu-related medicines in the past week.

Each customer may buy up to four boxes of all Panadol and Nurofen products at FairPrice outlets and the supermarket chain urged customers to only get what they need for their personal use. The limit came into effect on Wednesday (December 22).

FairPrice said: "Beyond this, we also offer alternative fever, flu and cold medication from comparable brands to ensure that the community has access to medicines and health-related products they need.”

Responding to TODAY’s queries yesterday, Panadol manufacturer Haleon said that it is ramping up production in its factories and working to further increase its supply of the medication.

"Combined with challenges faced across all global supply chains, there may be times when consumers struggle to find the variant of Panadol that they prefer,” the company said.

"We are continually working to increase supply to meet this higher demand as quickly as we can. We are producing record quantities of Panadol in our factories, significantly increasing supply capacity and working with our partners to bring in new and increased sources of raw materials and additional supply.”

Dairy Farm International said in response to TODAY’s queries yesterday that it has seen increased demand for fever medication but has not placed any caps on consumer purchases of such medication. It runs supermarket chains such as Cold Storage, The Marketplace, Jasons and Giant, as well as 7-Eleven convenience store and Guardian pharmacy.

"Paracetamol and fever relief medicine are available at all Guardian stores,” it said, adding that the company is working with its suppliers to ensure a steady and sufficient supply of paracetamol and fever relief medication at the pharmacy's outlets.

Retailers and pharmacies have seen increased demand for cold and flu-related medicines in the past week. The items are reportedly to be couriered to China, where nationwide Covid-19 restrictions were eased on December 7.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) here on Wednesday advised the public to buy medicines for their own use only, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation and working with retailers and pharmacies to ensure the availability of medicines to treat fever, cough and cold for the population here.

Checks by TODAY at several pharmacies around Toa Payoh yesterday showed that the shelves were almost cleaned out of all varieties of Panadol at two Guardian stores. At a Watsons store, where a purchase cap of six Panadol products have been imposed, there was a small tray of these left on sale at the counter.

At supermarkets, there were more Panadol products, with two FairPrice outlets and one Giant outlet still selling most of the products.

However, across the pharmacies and supermarkets that TODAY visited, the Panadol Extra variation that is marketed as providing stronger pain relief was sold out in all of them.

Consumers are advised not to take more than eight pills daily of Panadol, where the active ingredient is paracetamol. ― TODAY