Josacine, an antibiotic used against various infectious diseases, will soon disappear from pharmacies because its sole manufacturer stops production, the health authorities announced on Monday, in a context already marked by the shortage of multiple treatments.
The Astellas laboratory “decided to stop the commercialization of all presentations of the Josacine specialty,” reported the National Agency for Medicines Safety (ANSM) in a press release.
Josacine is the trade name of an antibiotic that uses the josamycin molecule. It is used against various infectious diseases that affect the lungs, throat, paranasal sinuses…
However, “there is no other josamycin-based specialty available in France”, warns the ANSM, while the last stocks should run out in March.
An “industrial decision”
This ruling is the result of a choice made by the manufacturer, which was motivated by an “industrial decision” without further details. The safety and effectiveness of the drug are not in doubt.
The group assured that it had planned a plan to allow the presence of the Josacines in the audience for several more years. But, in the current context of antibiotic shortages, stocks have been depleted much more than expected.
Physicians and pharmacists can refer to recent recommendations from leading infectious disease societies, which have evaluated the best way to replace Josacine with treatments from the same family.
This drug is also linked in people’s minds to the “poisoned Josacine” affair, which had seen the death of a child and was based on suspicions of cyanide poisoning from a bottle of this antibiotic. But the safety of the treatment itself has never been questioned.
Source: BFM TV
