Pharmaceutical Net, March 26th, at present, the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic is spreading and worsening in the world, which will inevitably have many impacts on the international supply and demand relationship of raw materials in our country, including both positive and negative aspects. , or may boost the explosive growth of some API exports in our country.
Our country's successful experience in the prevention and control of COVID-19 has been widely recognized around the world. Our country's "New Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Program" will also increase the international market demand for related drugs, including APIs, and the demand for other drugs directly related to pneumonia prevention and control will also increase. The export of related APIs in our country may usher in a short outbreak period.
One is antiviral APIs. our country's "New Coronary Virus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Program" directly recommends adobil, ritonavir, ribavirin, chloroquine phosphate for the treatment of new coronary pneumonia, and favipiravir, which is recently recommended by the Ministry of Science and Technology to be included in the diagnosis and treatment program. All medicines are produced by enterprises in our country (some may not be exported due to restrictions such as patents). In addition, there are also some antiviral drugs for the treatment of influenza, AIDS, etc., the market demand will also increase, such as oseltamivir, darunavir, acyclovir, etc. In 2019, the export value of our country's antiviral APIs and intermediates was about 600 million US dollars, and the export value of acyclovir and lamivudine was relatively large. Ritonavir, ribavirin, chloroquine phosphate and darunavir were exported. The export potential is great.
The second is antibiotic APIs. Antibiotics are used in combination to treat bacterial infections caused by new coronary pneumonia, and it is expected that the dosage will be larger in the future. Our country is a major producer and exporter of antibiotics (including chemically synthesized antibiotics) APIs, with an export value of about US$4 billion in 2019. Penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides, chloramphenicol, nitazoles and Broad-spectrum antibiotics such as penem are important export varieties of our country, occupying a large export share in the world. As India restricts the export of erythromycin, chloramphenicol and nitazole APIs, it is expected that the international market demand for our country's antibiotic APIs will increase significantly.
The third is antipyretic and analgesic APIs. Antipyretics are indispensable drugs in the treatment of new coronary pneumonia characterized by fever. my country is a major exporter of antipyretic and analgesic APIs such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, and analgin. In 2019, the export value reached 640 million US dollars. In addition, a large number of related intermediates such as p-aminophenol were exported. However, due to the recent statement by the French General Administration of Health that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and mefenamic acid may have side effects of aggravating the condition of COVID-19, the demand for related drugs may be suppressed to a certain extent. The market has long banned use, and it is expected that the international market demand for paracetamol with better safety will increase significantly. Since the API and its intermediates are mainly produced in China, and India has restricted the export of this API, our country's paracetamol exports are expected to usher in a wave of significant growth.
Fourth, vitamin APIs. Vitamins are widely considered to enhance physical fitness, and their needs may also increase during the epidemic. In 2019, the export value of vitamin APIs in our country was US$2.7 billion, but the average export price fell by 21%. Affected by the European epidemic, international vitamin giants such as BASF in Germany, DSM in the Netherlands, and Adisseo in France may all stop production, and the prices of related vitamin products in the international market have generally risen. After the price decline in the past year, the export of vitamin APIs in our country has ushered in a period of opportunity for both volume and price to rise, and corporate profits will return to a reasonable level.
Fifth, hormone APIs. In the treatment of critically ill patients, glucocorticoids may also be used, such as methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, etc., and the demand for related APIs may also increase. In 2019, our country's export volume of hormone APIs reached US$890 million.
In addition to changes in supply and demand, policies are also escorting the development of APIs foreign trade. In order to implement the general requirements on stabilizing the fundamentals of foreign trade, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, the Ministry of Finance and other ministries and commissions have launched a number of favorable measures to promote the resumption of work and production of enterprises, provide trade financing facilities, strengthen export credit insurance, export tax rebates, legal Aid and other support, improve customs clearance efficiency, and ensure the normal conduct of foreign trade.
However, while making good use of this opportunity and making good use of relevant support policies, our country's APIs enterprises should dialectically view the role of the epidemic on exports, based on their own advantages, and proceed from the overall situation of the industry to maintain the competitive advantage and international status of our country's APIs industry.
