Karex warns of up to 30% condom price increase amid Middle East conflict

6 articles · Updated · Fox News · Apr 28

Karex, a Malaysian firm producing over 5 billion condoms annually for 130 countries, faces soaring costs for silicone oil, aluminum, and synthetic rubber, with shipping delays up to two months.
The Strait of Hormuz bottleneck is driving up petroleum-based product prices, shrinking supply and delaying shipments, affecting major brands like Trojan and Durex and causing shortages in developing countries.
Karex supplies United Nations aid programs and also manufactures lubricants, catheters, and gloves, raising concerns that supply disruptions could impact vulnerable populations and the broader healthcare sector.

Beyond condoms, which essential health products will become unaffordable for the world’s most vulnerable?

Is the 30% condom price hike a direct result of supply costs or 'crisis profiteering'?

As oil prices surge, are we facing a new global crisis for plastics, rubber, and fertilizers?

With one strait choked, how fragile is the world's entire supply chain?

How are China and Russia leveraging the Hormuz crisis to reshape global trade and influence?

Can a $40 billion insurance backstop and naval escorts truly reopen the world's most critical oil artery?