“I committed to a list of so-called critical drugs before the end of this month, I had a first list of 281 drugs exactly today”said François Braun during questions to the government.
This list “will be further adjusted because there are (…) duplicates”he added, in his response to MP Béatrice Descamps (Liot).
He claimed that “This list will allow us to better study the production chain of each drug and to put in place concrete measures to avoid shortages”.
It front of “supply tensions” on certain medications, “the government is conducting a policy of concrete measures”, defended the Minister of Health, recalling that “In recent months, measures have been taken towards manufacturers”.
“There is also a winter plan, since every winter we increase the consumption of certain drugs, and also a white shot of the drug being set up“, developed François Braun.
European concerns
And the objective displayed by Emmanuel Macron of a return of “industrial sovereignty” from France “of course also concerns medicine, with France Relance, France 2030 or even yesterday “Choose France”, where pharmaceutical industries will invest more than a billion euros”, he said.
The Minister of Health also touted action at European level “to harmonize our policies in the face of shortages”.
In recent weeks, François Braun has called for more transparency from pharmaceutical laboratories on production, increased European solidarity when a country has stocks and can help those who do not have them, as well as a European list of essential medicines to guarantee their production in France and in Europe.
Antibiotics, paracetamol, antiepileptics, anticancer drugs… More and more drugs are running out of pharmacies, in France and elsewhere in Europe, causing growing concern among various players.
Some 3,500 reports of stockouts and risks of stockouts were recorded in 2022a marked increase compared to the 2,160 identified in 2021, according to a report recently sent to AFP by the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM).
