Health experts have warned that prices of condoms may increase in Nigeria, and likely lead to shortages if the crisis in the Middle East disrupting global oil supply chains continues.
The experts in the pharmaceutical sector explained that the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran was already disrupting supplies and raw materials used in producing condoms, which is now driving up manufacturing costs.
They noted that since many condoms in Nigeria are imported, the current disruptions could lead to a hike in prices of condoms locally, including possible shortages.
Condoms rely heavily on petrochemical-based materials such as synthetic rubber, silicone lubricants, among other components, many of which have become more expensive due to rising oil prices and shipping disruptions due to the escalations.
The experts raised the concern following the recent announcement by the world’s biggest condom maker, Karex, that it plans to raise its prices by up to 30% or more if the US-Iran war continues to disrupt supplies of the raw materials used in making condoms.
Karex, based in Malaysia, supplies leading global brands like Durex and Trojan, among others, and produces more than five billion condoms a year. Karex relies on materials derived from oil, including ammonia, which is used to preserve latex, as well as silicone-based lubricants.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Karex’s Chief Executive, Goh Miah Kiat, explained that the company has recorded sharp rises in production costs since the conflict started.
According to Goh, demand for condoms has risen by about 30% this year, with higher freight costs and delays to shipping worsening shortages.
The PUNCH Healthwise reports that the experts warned that countries dependent on imported contraceptives, including Nigeria, could face reduced access and affordability challenges if the disruptions persist.
The National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Ambrose Ezeh, said scarcity and disruption in the production of condoms could lead to a price hike of the product.
He noted that while Karex produces high-end products like Durex and others, a sharp increase in their prices and scarcity could shift demand to other affordable brands in Nigeria.
This shift to affordable brands, he said, could lead to a surge in demand and a price increase in those products as well.
“If disruption in movement, shipment, and all that leads to the scarcity of that particular product, the price of condoms will go up because people will now make do with the small stock they have.
“If there is a disruption in production, the prices will go up. So, there is no way those disruptions will not affect the price of condoms, because they will increase the cost of that product and lead to scarcity. If the demand is high and the product is scarce, the price of the remaining ones available will go up.
“And when condoms like Durex, which are for the elites because they’re expensive, become scarce, the demand will shift to the other ones that average Nigerians are buying. It might tend to even jack up the price of those ones depending on the location and the availability of those ones,” Eze said.
Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million, is already behind in access to condom coverage to curb sexually transmitted diseases to the barest minimum.
