If the economy is giving you a headache, relief, at least in the form of Disprin, is not at hand.
The country has been gripped by a Disprin shortage over the past five months. There has been speculation on the possible cause, including suggestions that the product had been contaminated.
An employee at Spar’s distribution department says the supplier, Reckitt Benckiser informed the group that it is experiencing a problem with the raw material of overseas branches.
“There has been a Disprin shortage at all our branches all over South Africa,” she says.
A spokesperson for the Shoprite Group said that Shoprite and Checkers stores have been receiving intermittent supplies of Disprin from Reckett Benckiser because of a problem with its manufacturing capacity.
“There is some stock in our stores, but not all pack sizes and variants are delivered regularly. This is of concern to the supermarket group as it affects its service levels to customers and the Shoprite Group is therefore putting pressure on the manufacturer to resolve its problems as soon as possible.”
Clicks stores and the medical groups Netcare and Medi-Clinic also confirmed a shortage in Disprin supplies since September last year.
“Reckitt Benckiser sent us a letter in August last year saying that it has short-term production issues with Disprin,” said a Medi-Clinic pharmacist. “There is a generic form of Disprin on the market called Bayer Aspirin with the same active ingredient as Disprin, but it is not quite as dissolvable.”
Reckitt Benckiser says the acute shortages of the drug used for treating headaches, pain and fever, results from a decision to upgrade its manufacturing plant at Durban to comply with international standards.