For several months, pharmacists have struggled to meet the demand for paracetamol and amoxicillin, the most prescribed antibiotic in France.
mo12345lemonde with AFP
The Minister of Health promised, Friday, February 3, the end in two weeks of the shortage of certain drugs, such as amoxicillin. “Last night, I gathered with the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure, the entire sector (…) to say:” Never again! “, This shortage of essential drugs for a winter period” Declared François Braun, at the microphone of Europe 1.
“Never again”, assures @frcsbraun about drug shortages on #Europe1 https://t.co/v9lc9vjemq
The Ministries of Health and Industry have also announced their intention to authorize price increases, “in return for industrialists’ commitments on securing the supply of the French market”, say -The in a common press release .
“We are going to return in the two weeks to one month of additional stock in amoxicillin,” said Braun, confirming the upcoming delivery in pharmacies of a million bottles of this antibiotic. “We have recovered paracetamol stocks, so we came out of this period of crisis in the coming two weeks,” added the minister.
to a “medication plan”
This influx is explained, according to him, by “the work done by manufacturers, who have activated the entire production chain”. “Pharmacists will receive 750,000 additional amoxicillin boxes delivered by Biogaran from February 6,” the generics laboratory told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “In total, in February, we will distribute 1,090,000 boxes out of three references,” he added.
For several months the stocks of certain drugs have been lean. Two products, widely used by the French, concentrate concerns: pediatric versions of paracetamol and amoxicillin, the most prescribed antibiotic in the country, mainly to treat angina and infant otitis.
The Minister of Health now intends to “prevent shortage effects”. He asked the sector to establish “for the month of June the list of all essential drugs”. The government wants to be able to identify quickly in the future “all places where there can be problems,” he said. “We anticipate next winter, even if it means doing preliminary stocks,” he insisted. François Braun also wishes to launch “a medication plan” to avoid crises.