Antidiabetics, anticancer drugs, anti-inflammatories, basic antibiotics… In 2023, nearly 5,000 cases of drug shortages or risk of shortages were reported to the National Drug Safety Agency. An increase of 30% compared to 2022. By comparison, 868 drug shortages were recorded in 2018.
In its 2023 activity report, it identifies the products most frequently reported for lack of availability. At the top of the list are drugs for the cardiovascular system, with 1,430 reports, despite their low market share of 8%. They are followed by drugs for the nervous system, with 1,086 reports for a market share of 33%, and systemic anti-infectives, which have 679 reports although they represent only 5% of the market.
Anticancer drugs are in fifth place with 354 reports, despite their low proportion of 0.8% of the drugs used. They are just behind drugs for the digestive system and metabolism, in particular antidiabetics, which recorded 465 reports for a market share of 16%.
Multifactorial origins
“Medicine shortages are increasing for several reasons,” Pierre-Olivier Farenq, head of the ANSM Emergency Situation Support Centre (CASAR), reminds Quotidien du Pharmacien. Firstly, the risk of disruption increases when the market is monopolistic. In addition, production-related problems such as manufacturing delays, a production incident or insufficient production capacities affect supplies.
Pierre-Olivier Farenq adds that the increasing complexity of medical device manufacturing, coupled with the recent relocation of mature drug production sites outside the European Union, increases the risks of production incidents.
The relocation of production to France is one of the government’s priorities, Emmanuel Macron recalled during a trip to the Ardèche in June 2023.
6 sanctions against laboratories
Another factor is the greed of laboratories, which are tempted to sell their drugs to countries with the highest bids. To deal with this situation, laboratories marketing their products in France must build up a two-month security reserve for all drugs of major therapeutic interest from 2021.
In 2023, six financial sanctions were imposed on laboratories for failure to comply with their stock obligations: three for lack or delay in information and three for not establishing a safety stock. This is four more than in 2022.
Source: BFM TV
