The Minister of Health, François Braun, recognized, in the Le Grand Jury program this Sunday on RTL, “tensions” over the supply of medicines in France. Asked to know when this problem will be resolved, the minister judged that it is “difficult to say”, adding that it could take place “in the coming weeks and months”.
In detail, the minister said that for paracetamol, the situation should return to normal in the coming weeks. As for the antibiotic amoxicillin, the main antibiotic prescribed to children in France to fight against a series of bacterial infections such as certain otitis and pneumonia, this could last several months since the minister indicated that it could last “until next March”.
Increase in demand after the Covid crisis
“L’enjeu, qui est majeur, c’est que ce ne pas des medicaments qui sont produits en France”, François Braun explained to him on the plateau de l’émission, posing the question: “alors qu’est-ce qu ‘we make?”.
For paracetamol, the Minister recalled that now pharmacists limit the number of boxes distributed, and the production chains have been challenged to speed up their pace. As for amoxicillin, “the entire sector has been remobilized” and the resale of this product to other products has been prohibited.
Authorities have also asked doctors and patients to use these antibiotics only when necessary. On Friday, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) spoke of a situation of “strong supply tensions” that could last until March.
According to the health authorities, this shortage is explained by an increase in demand after several years marked by the Covid crisis and multiple health restrictions that had reduced the spread of certain diseases.
Source: BFM TV
