Tylenol for babies is being sold online at 30 times its original price as predatory sellers monetize the “triple epidemic” sweeping the United States.
Online pharmacies charge up to $237 for a single 160mg box of Tylenol for babies, which usually costs just $8.
A massive outbreak of flu, RSV and Covid, and other respiratory bugs among children has led to nationwide shortages of pediatric medications, including Tamiflu, Tylenol and the antibiotic amoxicillin.
Major pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens have been forced to ration their supplies to cope with the crisis that has been going on for months.
Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Tamiflu — a flu drug used in hospitals — from the nation’s national emergency supply. Opening this stock is rare and only used in emergency situations.
There are reports that Tylenol for children and infants is being sold at a 30-fold markup as many local pharmacies are experiencing a shortage of the drug. Boxes of Tylenol have been flying off shelves in recent months as America is struck by a triple illness
Flu cases fell 30 percent week over week, from 43,960 last week to 31,287 this week. It’s another signal that America’s “triplemic” has passed its peak
Customers report finding an online store that sells a single case of Infant’s Tylenol for $237.83.
The same drugs are available for $8.79 at pharmacies such as Walgreens.
Another website, Shop Smart Deals, offered a two-pack of Children’s Tylenol for $35. Two boxes of Kids’ Tylenol can be purchased individually for $6.99 each at Walgreens.
Both listings have been removed from the store’s offerings.
DailyMail.com found listings for children’s Tylenol on ebay for $24.99, $19.95, and other prices much higher than the usual over-the-counter cost for it.
Amazon said its marketplace “prohibits sellers from exploiting an emergency situation by charging exorbitant prices.”
There are pharmacies that have these drugs for normal prices difficulty keeping them on the shelves in some parts of the country.
Earlier this week, CVS said it would limit in-store and online purchases of childhood fever and pain relievers — including Tylenol, Advil and Motrin — to two boxes each.
Walgreens has limited online purchases of the drugs to six purchases at a time, while there is no limit for personal use.
Both CVS and Walgreens do not stock Tylenol for kids online. Several DailyMail.com-monitored pharmacies in New York City also had the drug unavailable for in-store pickup.
The CDC reports that 25 states are recording “very high” levels of flu circulation, and eight states have reached the highest level the agency tracks. This is down from just two weeks ago when 44 states were deemed to be suffering from ‘very high’ flu activity
Anecdotal reports also circulated on social media from parents across the country struggling to get their children’s medications.
Some hospitals also feel this shortage. Tamiflu, the primary drug used by hospitals to treat the flu, is hard to find in some parts of the country.
While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not officially classify the drug as a nationwide shortage, regional scarcity has forced HHS to intervene.
The leading US health agency announced Wednesday that it would make additional supplies of Tamiflu available to hospitals from the country’s national supply.
This stockpile is a collection of drugs stored by the government in case of a national emergency.
“Today we are taking action so that every jurisdiction can meet the increased demand for Tamiflu this flu season,” Dr. Xavier Becerra, secretary of the HHS, said in a statement.
“State stockpiles can be used, and if jurisdictions need access to the Strategic National Stockpile, they now have it to respond to the current seasonal flu outbreak.”
It all comes in response to the “triplemic” sweeping across America this season.
America has faced an unusually brutal flu season this year, with experts describing it as the worst since the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
It is feared that so many Americans are vulnerable to the virus after their immune systems were depleted by two years of Covid mandates and lockdowns.
This spate of cases may have finally reached its peak.
During the week ending Dec. 10, 31,287 confirmed flu cases were recorded in the U.S., according to the most recent CDC data.
This is a drop of 30 percent from the 43,960 the week before, and the first time this flu season had dropped week-over-week cases.
Cases of RSV are also starting to drop. The CDC recorded 4,391 new RSV cases during the week ending Dec. 10, a 63 percent decrease from the week before.
It is the first week with fewer than 10,000 confirmed cases since the week ending Oct. 15, and the lowest since late September.
Despite these declines, the CDC is still warning that this wave of respiratory viruses will continue well into winter.
That says a spokesman for the agency Fox 5 DC: ‘We expect that high levels of respiratory virus activity can persist for several weeks or possibly even months.’
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