"Absolutely crazy, it's rising faster than gold." A widely used dermatological medication, Sicorten (generic name: halometasone/triclosan cream), has recently drawn significant attention due to supply shortages and skyrocketing prices, with the topic #30元皮肤药涨到800元# (30 yuan skin drug surges to 800 yuan) trending on social media. This medication, commonly prescribed for conditions like eczema and dermatitis, has long been considered a staple in many household medicine cabinets.
E-commerce platforms show that Sicorten is now available through only a limited number of pharmacies, with prices remarkably high and stock severely limited — some listings for a single box (10g/tube) reach as much as 800 yuan. In response, Ningbo Longsheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the drug's domestic responsible party in China, explained that as an imported product, the raw material supplier is currently undergoing a change, which requires an approval process. The company further noted, "The drug has been out of stock for over half a year, and the triclosan raw material is currently quite tight." When asked when supply might resume, the representative indicated that the timeline remains unclear.
Meanwhile, social media platforms have seen a surge of posts from patients seeking to buy or resell the medication. One user lamented, "I watched this drug go from 30 yuan to 150, then 400, and now 800 — faster than gold." Compounding the situation, online marketplace searches now display numerous products labeled as "generic Sicorten halometasone/triclosan cream" priced between 10 and 15 yuan. However, professionals caution that Sicorten is a prescription drug, and these "generic" versions appearing online may not contain halometasone or triclosan at all — they might not even be pharmaceutical products.
From a few yuan after insurance to several hundred out of pocket
According to official records, Sicorten is a clinical mainstay in dermatology. Originally developed by Novartis, it entered the Chinese market in 2002. In 2014, Longsheng Pharmaceutical acquired its full rights in China, relaunching the product in 2016. This compound formulation combines halometasone, a potent topical corticosteroid, with triclosan, an antibacterial agent, making it effective for treating infected skin lesions associated with eczema and dermatitis. Since March of this year, patients have been reporting sudden stock shortages on social platforms. One patient shared, "Before the New Year, it cost just 29 yuan and only a few yuan after insurance reimbursement. Now it's several hundred yuan, and you might not even find it." The comment sections under "medicine-seeking" posts have become flooded with sellers offering the drug at prices typically ranging from 200 to 500 yuan.
On the Meituan pharmacy platform, the original prescription Sicorten (halometasone/triclosan cream, 10g/tube) is now listed at 799 yuan, with a bulk price of 796 yuan per unit for orders of three or more. Approximately 39 units have been sold at this price. When asked about the pricing, a merchant customer service representative simply stated, "The specific pricing is handled by our operations team." Official reference data from the China Pharmaceutical Information Platform places the drug's standard price at just 32.8 to 45.9 yuan per tube — meaning the current market price represents a staggering 17 to 24-fold increase. Unfortunately, this case is far from isolated. Since the start of 2026, several original research drugs have experienced dramatic price spikes following supply disruptions. Cefuroxime axetil tablets (brand name: Zinnat) surged from a few dozen yuan to between 1,200 and 1,600 yuan after manufacturer Pfizer ceased domestic supply in July 2024. Cyclophosphamide for injection (brand name: Endoxan) climbed from roughly 24 yuan to 600 yuan, while tacrolimus eye drops escalated from 779-818 yuan to a peak of 3,382 yuan.
From a clinical perspective, Dr. Su Qianya, associate chief physician in dermatology at Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, notes that several alternative drug combinations exist to suit individual patient conditions. These include halometasone monotherapy or other super-potent corticosteroids like betamethasone or clobetasol, potentially paired with antibacterial agents such as mupirocin or fusidic acid. Yet, these alternatives have done little to quell patient demand for Sicorten. As one patient bluntly expressed on social media, "After years of using this medication, switching isn't that easy." The flood of buy-and-sell posts shows no sign of abating.
Supplier change and shrinking global demand behind the shortage
"The triclosan raw material is tight" and "out of stock for over half a year" — these were the responses our team received when contacting Ningbo Longsheng Pharmaceutical's hotline as a consumer. A staff member confirmed the supply disruption and attributed it to an ongoing change in raw material suppliers for this imported product, emphasizing the current shortage of triclosan. Behind this supplier transition lies a significant contraction in global demand for triclosan, a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent once widely incorporated into hand soaps, body washes, cosmetics, and other daily chemical products. Its use in consumer goods has been progressively restricted: the US FDA banned triclosan from over-the-counter hand soaps in 2016; the EU has imposed strict limits on its use in cosmetics; and China's latest Cosmetic Safety Technical Specification, effective December 2023, lists triclosan among prohibited ingredients in cosmetics. While pharmaceutical-grade triclosan remains permitted, the daily chemical sector historically constituted its largest application market. This demand collapse has directly destabilized raw material supply. Industry research indicates that China's effective triclosan production capacity has plummeted from approximately 18,000 tonnes annually in 2020 to fewer than 6,000 tonnes by 2025. Globally, suppliers exiting the triclosan market or converting to other products has become a foreseeable industry trend.
Critically, Sicorten holds the distinction of being the only approved halometasone/triclosan compound formulation in China. National Medical Products Administration data confirms only one approval number exists for halometasone/triclosan cream, while halometasone monotherapy creams (0.05%) are available from multiple generic manufacturers, including Hong Kong Bright Future Pharmaceutical (brand name: Aoneng) and Chongqing Huapont (brand name: Fusong). After more than two decades on the market, no generic version of this compound has emerged. Consequently, when the original manufacturer's supply is interrupted, no equivalent alternative exists — a fundamental driver of the current market imbalance. Still, some netizens report that after contacting the company, they were told the fastest timeline for approval completion could be December.
Online 10-yuan lookalikes: not actual medication
While the genuine drug remains nearly impossible to source, a curious phenomenon has appeared on e-commerce platforms: significantly cheaper "equivalent" products. On the Meituan pharmacy app, alongside the 799-yuan genuine article, multiple listings priced between 10 and 20 yuan have emerged. These items, marketed under names like "generic Sicorten halometasone/triclosan cream," have sold over 2,000 units — a stark contrast to the 39 units of the authentic product — effectively making them bestsellers. Upon closer inspection, however, these products bear only a superficial resemblance to the authentic Sicorten. They are not prescription drugs. In small print on the packaging, they claim to provide "deep antibacterial action through botanical extracts." One purchaser reported these products had no therapeutic effect, remarking, "The manufacturer is clearly skating on thin ice — the difference between this and the real thing I bought before is enormous." When our team questioned customer service about these "generic" products, the response was unequivocal: "These are disinfectant-grade products, not medication." The "消字号" (disinfection product) designation refers to hygiene licenses for sanitizing products, which cannot treat conditions like eczema or dermatitis. Industry insiders further note that some lookalike products on the market may contain halometasone alone, without triclosan. "For purely non-infectious inflammatory skin conditions, they might provide some anti-allergy and anti-itching effects," one source explained. True Sicorten, by contrast, contains both halometasone and triclosan as a prescription drug, delivering combined anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action that reduces bacterial proliferation risk at infected sites.