In the midst of a
historic dengue outbreak
, with more than 180,000 cases and 129 deaths, the Government decided to expedite the importation of repellents. Specifically, for thirty days it removed procedures from the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT), to simplify the entry of these products into Argentina.
Hours after that "liberation" - which came after several days of being accused of "inaction" in the face of the epidemic - the main producer of repellents says that
it will now import it from Poland.
"With the aim of maximizing production even more, in
an exceptional way
we are importing inputs
by air
, managing to bring in more quickly those assets used for the manufacture (of the repellent products). In addition, in a measure that demands enormous efforts, and to provide repellents to Argentines, we are importing products from Poland, among other markets, which
will be arriving soon
."
That was the highlight of the statement released this Friday by the SC Johnson laboratory, which manufactures the now almost disappeared OFF! gondolas, and also Fuyí and Raid. The company
did not give any details about when these products will arrive from the European country.
SC Johnson, which
accounts for more than 80 percent of the market,
in the new statement once again argues that it could not supply the domestic market. And it gives some more information about that impossibility.
No repellent. It is not available in pharmacies and supermarkets. Photo: Fernando de la Orden
"Initially, in February 2024 we recorded
a growth of more than 300% in demand
for our repellents compared to last year and, in March of this year, the spirals were also affected increasing the sales volume by a very large amount. "This unprecedented situation affects not only our company but the entire supply chain involved, which is working to the maximum of its capabilities," he says.
Among the action plans to counteract this unsatisfied demand, they mention
having increased the capacity of the production plant "that works uninterruptedly."
"It should be noted that for the manufacture of repellents it is necessary to have a specific production line that must be authorized by the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT). On the other hand, as an extraordinary measure, we approve the sale of different packaging formats that were not currently on the market in order to increase the availability of our products. This represents close to 20% of the aerosols available and has helped to considerably increase their availability," they add.
The shortage of these orange, green and white aerosols on the country's shelves
began to be noticed since January and has now reached its limit.
The release of the repellent
The Ministry of Health explained that the idea of the measure is that companies that are currently dedicated to manufacturing repellent in Argentina have the possibility of
importing the finished product for the established period of 30 days.
Regarding the new provision, ANMAT decided to "except its necessary intervention to import" insect repellent in four versions: aerosol, cream, spray and gel. That is, all the presentations in which the repellent comes.
The Government also enabled the purchase of these products abroad through
door-to-door mail
, without going through the control of ANMAT.
According to official sources, the modification of the import process was enabled
"given the current epidemiological context and the consequent increase in the demand for repellents."
The exceptional measure "will apply to both the general regime - importers with local dispatches - and to the individual so that people who want to buy said products abroad will be able to do so through the courier service (door to door) without having to make additional procedures before the ANMAT," the authorities detailed.
S.C.