Yasmina Kattou / Credits: Adrien Nowak / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
In pharmacies, it is no longer the prices that worry us but quite simply the stocks. For the past ten years, the season has arrived and finding paracetamol, antibiotics, sometimes even anti-cancer drugs has become an ordeal. How can we explain these tensions?
Every winter, it’s the same story. Every year, the French have to face shortages of certain medications and this tension can be explained by a multitude of factors. First, France does not produce its molecules. 80% of raw materials are manufactured in India and China. In France, as in Europe, we therefore depend on imports and this can get stuck during epidemics. Manufacturers are limiting their exports to meet local demand.
A diversion of medicines
Another reason linked to the health crisis this time. During Covid, thanks to the masks which were compulsory, the French were sick less and thus consumed much less medicine. Since then, some factories have reduced the number of production lines.
Some stock shortages are also due to the diversion of certain medications, such as Ozempic, this antidiabetic drug praised by many influencers for weight loss. Finally, laboratories promote the sale of medicines to countries which buy them at high prices. For example, Switzerland pays 40% more than France, while Germany pays 30% more.