Popular Hemorrhoid Drug 'Titan' Withdrawn from China Market Amid Price Surge Over 20-Fold

Oct 17, 2025 09:26 CST Updated 09:26

GSK China

Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

Xian Janssen

Pharmaceutical R&D and Manufacturer

Click on the image to view conference details.↑↑↑

The网红 hemorrhoid medicine Compound Carrageenate Suppositories (brand name "Taining") has now completely exited the Chinese market.

Yesterday (October 15), the National Medical Products Administration announced that 80 drug approvals had been voluntarily canceled, including Taioning. Both of its dosage forms – cream and suppositories – had their drug approval numbers canceled upon request. In addition to Taioning, the drugs with canceled approval numbers also included several products from foreign companies, such as Pfizer's Doxorubicin Hydrochloride for Injection, Xian Janssen’s Compound Carrageenate Suppositories/Darunavir Cobicistat Tablets/Fentanyl Transdermal Patch, GSK China’s Salbutamol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, Sanofi’s Lixisenatide Injection, Novartis’ Glycopyrronium Bromide Inhalation Powder, Bayer’s Rivaroxaban for Oral Suspension/Cladribine Hydrochloride for Injection, and more.

According to the application for deregistration, the cancellation of this approval number was an active decision by the company. In fact, even before the cancellation of the approval number, news about Tai Ning’s production halt and stock-out had already spread since last year.

Public information shows that Tainning is an exclusive product of Xian Janssen. It is a topical over-the-counter medication used for symptomatic treatment of pain, itching, swelling, and bleeding caused by hemorrhoids and other anal disorders. It can also be used to relieve discomfort after local anal surgery.

Before the product was reported to be out of supply, the price of Taian Suppositories in 6-piece packs was only 20-40 yuan, while the 12-piece packs were priced at 40-80 yuan. According to a report by the Health Client of the People's Daily last July, after the shortage, the price of Taian Suppositories surged more than 20 times. At that time, only a few pharmacies on major e-commerce platforms were still supplying Taian Suppositories. The price for 6-piece packs was generally 500-600 yuan, and the 12-piece packs were priced at 1100-1200 yuan.

Xian Janssen explained that due to the main active ingredient of Compound Carrageenate being naturally extracted and non-renewable, there is currently no sustainable supply of raw materials available globally for production. Therefore, starting from November 2023, Xian Janssen will cease the supply of Compound Carrageenate Suppositories and has already submitted a market withdrawal application to the National Medical Products Administration on October 19, 2023.

Regarding the price increase, pharmaceutical company staff stated that manufacturers do not participate in drug sales. Generally, they supply drugs to distributors, who are responsible for distributing them across various regions. Currently, the drugs on the market are mainly previous inventories from major merchants. Drug prices are primarily controlled by the distribution process, and manufacturers have no authority to intervene.

Taining exited the market due to raw material issues, while many foreign enterprises applied for the cancellation of product licenses mainly because of poor market performance. Although foreign enterprises have strong overall strength in China's pharmaceutical market, they are not always successful; many product promotions have not been done well.

Taking injectable doxorubicin hydrochloride as an example, this drug is a broad-spectrum anti-tumor medication commonly used in chemotherapy for multiple myeloma, lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. According to data from Menet, the sales revenue of doxorubicin injections in China's three major terminals and six key markets exceeded 4 billion yuan in 2023. However, in terms of the manufacturer landscape, CSPC Ouyi Pharma, Changzhou Jinyuan Pharma, and Shanghai Fudan-Zhangjiang Bio-Pharmaceutical dominate the market, while Pfizer has minimal presence for this product. In 2024, the drug was included in the tenth batch of national procurement products, with prices significantly dropping; for instance, CSPC’s price for the drug fell from nearly 5,000 yuan to 98 yuan per vial. Under these circumstances, it is evidently unlikely for Pfizer to re-enter the market and gain a share, making its decision to cancel the registration and exit the market understandable.

Another example is the inhalable salbutamol sulfate solution, which, according to publicly available data, is one of the top-selling inhalation preparations. However, it has been included in the fourth round of national procurement. In 2023, the product's sales in China’s three major terminals and six key markets exceeded 400 million yuan, but nearly 20 products have been approved for marketing, making this a fiercely competitive red ocean. Given the limited market space and intense competition, it is not surprising that foreign companies are exiting the market.

*This WeChat Official Account remains neutral on all original and reproduced content, statements, and viewpoints. The shared content is for non-commercial purposes only. If any reproduced works or images have incorrect author source markings or involve infringement, original authors are kindly reminded to contact the editor for removal.

*Editorial Responsibility| Mu Yang

*Reprint Authorization | Teacher Zhang 17551939537(WeChat same number))

*Business Cooperation | LiuTeacher13262726197(WeChat same number)