2024-11-05 07:00:00
Like every year, Public Health France and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Health Insurance, launched the new edition of the Tobacco Free Month challenge on Friday November 1st.
But in pharmacies on the Riviera, as everywhere in France, certain references to lozenges, patches, chewing gum and other nicotine-based products to help with withdrawal are missing from the shelves. Pharmacists’ unions denounce supply problems.
“It’s still quite funny to encourage people to stop smoking by offering reimbursement for products that we cannot obtain”reacts Cyril Colombani, pharmacist in Roquebrune-sur-Argens and president of the Union of Unions of Community Pharmacists of the Alpes-Maritimes.
“We are out of stock on the references reimbursed by Health Insurance. The non-reimbursed products, at free prices, and, roughly, one and a half times more expensive than the reimbursed products, we have them”he continues.
“It’s funny for anti-smoking month. It’s much more complicated when it’s anti-hypertensive treatments or other treatments for serious pathologies that we can’t get. Because we are still in the same level of shortage It hasn’t improved since March.”alerts the Roquebrunois pharmacist.
“The real issue is the price”
Among the most requested products to help fight tobacco addiction “patches and small tablets to suck. Some brands are no longer available, then the following month they will come back and others will be affected. This was already the case this summer”notes Raphaël Gigliotti, president of the Alpes-Maritimes pharmacists’ union.
“The real subject is the price. France buys the patches at the lowest price, almost, in all of Europe. So, obviously, we are the last to be supplied, we are facing stock shortages, like all other medicines which are regularly unavailable in France.”deplores the pharmacist from Nice.
Long-term health repercussions
From there to compromising smoking cessation? “Indeed, there are some for whom the brand was very successful and who can tell themselves that they are going to stop, like this patient who could not tolerate certain patches because of an allergy”cites Raphaël Gigliotti as an example.
“People who are moderately motivated can slow them down, confirms Cyril Colombani, who warns: In the long term, it will have enormous health and human costs because we will have more cancers.”
According to estimates from Public Health France, more than 1 million people smoke daily in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, or 29.1% of the population. The prevalence of daily smoking is much higher there than in the rest of France (25%).
While waiting for the missing references to come back into stock, professionals invite candidates to wean “to switch from one brand to another, with the advice of a pharmacist”.
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**Interview with Cyril Colombani, Pharmacist and President of the Union of Unions of Community Pharmacists of the Alpes-Maritimes**
**Interviewer:** Good morning, Cyril. Thanks for joining us today. With the recent launch of the Tobacco Free Month challenge, can you tell us about the current state of nicotine product availability in pharmacies across France?
**Cyril Colombani:** Good morning, and thank you for having me. Currently, we’re facing significant supply issues with nicotine replacement therapies like lozenges, patches, and chewing gum. As I mentioned earlier, we are completely out of stock on the reimbursed products that are supposed to help people quit smoking.
**Interviewer:** That sounds quite frustrating, especially with the Tobacco Free Month initiative underway. What does this mean for smokers looking to quit?
**Cyril Colombani:** Exactly. It’s quite ironic to promote a campaign encouraging smoking cessation when the very products designed to help people stop are unavailable. The non-reimbursed alternatives that we do have are often much more expensive—about one and a half times the cost of the reimbursed options—making them less accessible for many.
**Interviewer:** How have these shortages impacted your work as a pharmacist?
**Cyril Colombani:** It complicates things quite a bit. We’re trying to support our patients in their efforts to quit, but when we can’t supply the recommended products, it feels like we’re failing them. This issue isn’t limited to nicotine products; we’re seeing similar shortages with other essential medications, including those for serious health conditions.
**Interviewer:** Given these challenges, what do you think the government or health authorities could do to address these supply issues?
**Cyril Colombani:** We need to look at improving the supply chain for these critical medications. It’s essential for health authorities to work closely with manufacturers to ensure availability and to consider regulations that allow easier access to these products. Ensuring consistent supply is crucial, especially during campaigns like this.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for sharing your insights, Cyril. It’s clear that while the initiative aims to help, practical challenges must be addressed simultaneously to make a real impact.
**Cyril Colombani:** Thank you for highlighting this issue. It’s imperative we find a way to provide the necessary support for those wishing to quit smoking.
