Shortage of drugs: "Never again", promises François Braun

The Minister of Health promised on Friday, February 3, the end within two weeks of the shortage of certain drugs, such as amoxicillin

Shortage of drugs: "Never again", promises François Braun

The Minister of Health promised on Friday, February 3, the end within two weeks of the shortage of certain drugs, such as amoxicillin. "Last evening, I brought together the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure, the entire sector (…) to say: 'Never again!', this shortage of essential drugs during a winter period", said declared François Braun, at the microphone of Europe 1.

The Ministries of Health and Industry have also announced their intention to authorize price increases, "in return for commitments by manufacturers to secure the supply of the French market", they say in a joint statement.

"We will come back in the next two weeks to a month of additional stock of amoxicillin," assured Mr. Braun, confirming the upcoming delivery to pharmacies of one million vials of this antibiotic. "We have recovered stocks of paracetamol, so we are out of this crisis period in the next two weeks," the minister added.

Towards a "drug plan"

This influx is explained, according to him, by "the work done by the industrialists, who activated the entire production chain". "Pharmacists will receive 750,000 additional boxes of amoxicillin delivered by Biogaran from February 6," the generics laboratory told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "In total, over the month of February, we will distribute 1,090,000 boxes over three references," he added.

For several months, the stocks of certain drugs have been low. 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 infantile otitis.

The Minister of Health now intends to "prevent the effects of the shortage". He asked the sector to establish "for the month of June the list of all essential drugs". The government wants to be able to quickly identify in the future "all the places where there may be problems", he said. "We are anticipating next winter, even if it means making preliminary stocks," he insisted. François Braun also wants to launch "a drug plan" to avoid crises.