Japan is experiencing an ongoing shortage of generic medicines due to a string of scandals and other structural problems, hindering efforts to combat the flu.

Out of over 16,000 pharmaceutical products, 3,103 — or 18.5% — were either in limited or suspended supply as of the end of October, according to a survey conducted by the Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Associations of Japan.

Over 60% of these are generic drugs, which include treatments for fever, cough and other flu-like symptoms. With the health ministry declaring the start of this year’s flu season on Nov. 8, demand for such medicine is rising.

While the situation has improved from a month earlier, supply is still unstable, according to the survey.

Generic drugs are cheaper alternatives to brand-name medicine, and are made of the same active ingredients and provide the same effects. However, they can only be manufactured and sold after the patent for the original brand-name drug expires.

Generics occupy some 83% of all prescription drugs that are available in the market today, according to the Japan Generic Medicines Association.

A series of scandals that hit the generic drug industry in recent years has impacted its overall production capacity, resulting in the supply shortage.

In 2020, it was revealed that the now-defunct major generic drugmaker Kobayashi Kako had mixed sleep-inducing compounds into its antifungal medicine. Kobayashi Kako withdrew its marketing license in 2023. (Kobayashi Kako is unrelated to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, which was engulfed in a scandal over its beni kōji red yeast rice health supplements.)

The Kobayashi Kako scandal prompted a nationwide investigation that found dozens of companies had manufacturing procedures that were not approved by the government.

Meanwhile, structural inefficiencies within the generic drug industry, such as small-scale manufacturing of a wide range of products, may have also contributed to the supply instability, health minister Takamaro Fukuoka said at a regular news conference last week.

“To address this, we plan to set a focused reform period of approximately five years and promote collaboration, cooperation and restructuring among companies through financial and fiscal measures,” he added.

The government is making a stable supply of medications a top priority. The basic economic policy of 2024, approved by the Cabinet in June, also promised to push for the consolidation of the generic pharmaceutical industry, as well as establish a legal framework related to a stable supply of generic medicines.

The health ministry has been asking drugmakers to ramp up production of generic medicine since last year, and has secured a higher shipment volume, Fukuoka said. Health care professionals can consult the ministry directly when experiencing difficulties obtaining such medicines, he added.