The expected price hike is due to disruptions in the supply of oil products due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The situation is definitely very volatile, prices are high … we have no choice but to pass the cost on to customers right now,” Goh Mia Kiat, CEO of Malaysia’s Karex, told Reuters.
As Reuters notes, this is the second failure to secure global condom supplies since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. The disbanding of USAID initiated by his administration then limited supplies to countries in Africa, where contraceptives under UN programs have played an important role in fighting the HIV epidemic.
Now, disruptions in the supply of petroleum products, which are needed to produce latex and packaging, are causing the next wave of price hikes. In addition, rising energy and petroleum product prices have driven up the price of key chemical components needed for production, such as silicone oil, ammonia and ethanol.
Since Karex produces one in five condoms in the world and supplies products for giants such as Durex, Trojan and One, the increase in costs for the manufacturer will have a direct impact on final prices in pharmacies and stores around the world.
