Pharmacies have been confronted for a month with tensions around 1000 mg capsules. A situation that does not concern other forms of the drug from Sanofi, explains Philippe Besset, the president of the majority pharmacy union.
On the shelves of pharmacies, the famous little yellow box is missing more and more often. For about a month, pharmacies have been struggling to renew their stock of Doliprane capsules. An unfortunate but not alarming situation, which should encourage us to continue our reflection on our pharmaceutical sovereignty, explains to Release Philippe Besset, President of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF).
Do the difficulties encountered in obtaining Doliprane reflect the emergence of a shortage?
For about a month, we have run out of Doliprane 1000 mg capsules. One of the excipients [un composant du médicament sans effet thérapeutique, ndlr] is in tension, that’s all. The capsule form of Dafalgan, a competing drug, is also affected. But there is no shortage of other forms of Doliprane, especially tablets or effervescents. What would worry me would be a supply problem on the active ingredient of Doliprane: paracetamol. This is the main drug used in France. However, for the moment we remain dependent on the production of its active ingredient in China and the United States, two countries which have a tradition of prioritizing their population. But the announcement, in June, of the relocation of Paracetamol production in France to a factory in Isère from 2023 is good and reassuring news.
What are the causes of these supply tensions?
Sanofi, the French company that produces Doliprane, is carrying out a commendable transparency exercise on these tensions. The causes are multiple. First, the still ongoing epidemics – of Covid-19 with omicron and the late flu epidemic – are driving up demand. Doliprane is the “leading” drug, people turn to it first, which is why it is particularly concerned. Then, at the global level, Sanofi faces a shortage of raw materials and excipients necessary for the production of Doliprane capsules. This winter, pharmacies had difficulty obtaining supplies of Doliprane dedicated to children for the same reasons. The pharmaceutical industry encountered difficulties in supplying an excipient also used by the food industry, for sweets and chewing gum. The problem has been solved, there is no longer a problem for Doliprane for children. But Sanofi would like now, when this excipient is again in tension, the pharmaceutical industry to be prioritized.
How to react in case of rupture?
Your pharmacist will always recommend another form or another brand of paracetamol. You have to trust him. And remember that what’s important is the treatment, not the brand of the product.