Condom maker to increase prices by 30% due to Iran war supply issues

Karex – which bills itself as the world’s largest manufacturers of condoms, and is a supplier to the Trojan brand – is raising prices by 20% to 30%, according to news reports Wednesday.

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The cost of synthetic rubber and other materials used to manufacture condoms, as well as foil for packaging, have increased since the war started in February. Shipping prices also have gone up, Karex CEO Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters.

“The situation is definitely very fragile, prices are expensive,” Goh said. “… We have no choice but to transfer the costs right now to the customers.”

Karex, based in Malaysia, manufactures 5 billion condoms a year.

The war has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, restricting the flow of energy supplies and petroleum-based products like rubber. 

Shipping condoms to the United States and elsewhere is taking twice as long as before the war, Goh said.

“We’re seeing a lot more condoms actually sitting on vessels that have not arrived at their destination but are highly required,” Goh told Reuters.