Medicines: one million doses of amoxicillin soon to be delivered to pharmacies

“We are coming out of this crisis.Roland Lescure wanted to be reassuring about the shortage of consumer drugs that have affected France for several weeks. It must be said that the Minister Delegate for Industry has new reason for hope. On RTL, Friday February 3, he announced that the British pharmaceutical group GSK was going to reserve for France “a million more doses“amoxicillin”in the coming weeks“.

This number is equivalent toone month of consumption“Said the Minister of Industry, who is closely following the file with his colleague from Health François Braun. According to Roland Lescure, the bottles of this antibiotic widely prescribed in France, particularly for children, will be delivered to French pharmacies.within two weeks“.

Read alsoWhy drug shortages will last

Good news for the French market, which falls a few weeks after a similar announcement from the Upsa laboratory concerning pediatric paracetamol. “Upsa told me three weeks ago that it was redirecting 1 million doses of pediatric paracetamol to France“, recalled the minister, who had visited the factory of Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) of the French company at the beginning of January. Roland Lescure thus wanted, on RTL, to “greet» the two manufacturers. “If Sanofi wants to do the same (redirect doses of drugs to France, editor’s note)they are obviously welcomehe called.

A roadmap to avoid future shortages

Invited to Europe 1 a little later in the morning, François Braun also said that France would come out “of this period of crisis in the next two weeks“. Beyond this winter, the government sees further. “We put in place a roadmap to prevent this from happening again“Said Roland Lescure. “Never again“, abounded François Braun, who brought together the actors of the drug sector on Thursday evening, with his colleague from Industry. A “steering committee“intended for”take stock of the situation and lay the groundwork for a new strategy for preventing and managing shortages“, we say to the Ministry of Health.

Three priority projects have been launched by the executive to avoid further shortages. On the one hand, the establishment of a list of drugs called “reviewsby the end of May. “Now we are anticipating next winter, even if it means making preliminary stocks“, declared on the other hand François Braun on Europe 1. Concretely, this will take the form of”a plan to prepare for winter epidemics (…) to anticipate possible tensions and strengthen our ability to deal with seasonal peaks in drug consumption“, we specify to the Ministry of Health, which must be built”within three months“. The third measure mentioned, the creation of a “white drug plan“activatable in the event of a crisis, which must also be developed”within three months“. This roadmap must be presented no later than June 2023.

In addition, his colleague Roland Lescure expressed the government’s desire to relocate the production of certain drugs to France. The executive hasidentified a certain number of molecules for which we will promote, via public aid, reindustrialization in France“, specified the Minister of Industry.

Read alsoDrug Shortages: When Pharmacy Compounds Make Amoxicillin

A mission was also launched last week to “overhaul the pricing policy” medication. On this subject, a moratorium was announced onprice reductions of strategic generics from an industrial and health perspective“. In other words, a price lock. The ministers “have also indicated their desire to implement targeted price increases on certain strategic generics produced in Europe“, we indicate avenue de Ségur. But these would be accepted”in return for industrial commitments on securing the supply of the French market“.

SEE ALSO – “3,000 drugs are in short supply in France»