For several months, French pharmacies have faced shortages of Doliprane in capsule and pediatric form. A situation due in particular to the Omicron variant.
Shortage alert? The boxes of Doliprane 1000mg capsule from Sanofi are becoming increasingly rare on the shelves of pharmacies in France. And the lack might be felt until June. The reason? The overconsumption of paracetamol induced by the Covid-19 epidemic and the Omicron variant, which sends fewer people to hospital, but still distributes headaches to nearly 100,000 new people every day.
But for pharmacists, it is too early to speak of a shortage when the alternatives are numerous: “We cannot speak of a shortage”, assures France Blue Philippe Besset, the president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF)evoking rather “tensions”.
Alternatives exist
“There is currently tension on analgesics and paracetamol, which is linked to high consumption due to the Covid-19 epidemic at the same time as an influenza epidemic. We really have a lot of infectious pathologies this year. And that induces a consumption of paracetamol”, explains Philippe Besset.
This situation should return to normal by the end of June, assures Union of Community Pharmacists (USPO) who estimates that the tensions should even be dissipated in 15 days. For its part, the manufacturer Sanofi is planning a return to normal for the month of June. And in case of urgent need, there are many alternatives to Doliprane 1000: the less powerful Doliprane 500 remains just as effective and Dafalgan, from the UPSA laboratory, has the same effects as Doliprane 1000.
