Pasta, toilet paper ... but also antidepressants or paracetamol. The French have significantly stockpiled drugs for chronic diseases, during the first two weeks of confinement supposed to halt the progression of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey by the Medicines Agency (ANSM) and Insurance illness (CNAM).
This pharmacoepidemiology study, carried out by the scientific interest group (GIS) EPI-PHARE (ANSM / CNAM), thus shows that the dispensing in pharmacies of drugs for chronic diseases (cardiovascular pathologies, diabetes and mental disorders in particular) have jumped from + 20 to + 40%, from March 16 to 29, compared to the same periods in 2018 and 2019.
[đź“‘ #Coronavirus] Discover the first results of the study of # pharmacoepidemiology carried out by @EPIPHARE analyzing the behavior of French vis-Ă -vis # drugs in the context of # COVID19 @ ameli_actu #confinement
👉 Update: https: //t.co/lnEQoWwg1r pic.twitter.com/3LfEChcpEP
Thus, nearly 600,000 additional people obtained antihypertensive drugs the first week of confinement and 470,000 the following week, according to this report published Tuesday. For antidiabetics, these figures reach 230,000 and 175,000 respectively.
Birth control pills and paracetamol
For drugs for mental disorders, the increase was smaller, but still significant (+ 22% for antidepressants the first week, or + 182,000 people; + 21.5% for antipsychotics the second week, ie + 50,000 people).
HIV antiretrovirals (+ 32% in week 12), antiepileptics (+ 25%) and levothyroxine products (+ 41%) also experienced very significant increases. Even very marked increase for oral contraception, with + 45.3% the first week.
In terms of drugs linked to Covid-19, sales of paracetamol on medical prescription increased very sharply: a million and a half more people were dispensed from pharmacies during the first two weeks of confinement. Prescription sales of ibuprofen-type anti-inflammatory drugs (not recommended by medical authorities in the event of infection with the coronavirus) fell by 60%.
Chloroquine acclaimed
The number of people who received chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine increased sharply, particularly in ĂŽle-de-France and Provence-Alpes-CĂ´te d'Azur (+ 70% between March 16 and 22 and + 145% between 23 and 29 March for hydroxychloroquine).
Another lesson from this report is the very large decrease in the supply of products requiring administration by a health professional, in particular vaccines. A phenomenon that could be linked to a fear of contamination by the coronavirus in a medical office.
Falling vaccines
Thus, the delivery of HPV vaccines, MMR and anti-tetanus has declined (- 50 to - 70%), as that of penta / hexavalent vaccines (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, influenza B, hepatitis B) of infants (-23%), between March 23 and 29, "possibly reflecting a delay in the vaccination schedule," write the authors of the report.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
Same observation on the side of colonoscopies, scanners and MRI (-20% the first week of confinement and - 60% the second). “These non-performed examinations, essential for diagnosing certain cancers or serious illnesses, could lead to delays in treatment if the situation were to continue. "