Forcing laboratories to have sufficient stocks to avoid drug shortages: this is the flagship measure of the bill tabled by socialist MP Valérie Rabault, which will be examined on Wednesday in the Social Affairs Committee.
The subject is hot, and arouses the anger of pharmacists and patients alike.
This winter, and even more so the previous winter, very common antibiotics such as amoxicillin, painkillers and even antidiabetics were missing.
In January, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) recorded 4,925 reports of shortages or risk of stock shortages.
To remedy this, Valérie Rabault wishes to force pharmaceutical laboratories to have a minimum stock of four months for drugs of major therapeutic interest, under penalty of financial sanctions.
“
Today, for example, we only have a fifteen-day stock of Doliprane, which is far too little
,” the MP is alarmed.
Today, we only have, for example, two weeks of stock of Doliprane, which is far too little.
Valérie Rabault, socialist MP
However, laboratories consider this measure counterproductive, in a context where production is struggling to keep up with the growth in global demand.
The sector federation, Leem, even fears that laboratories will be encouraged to store drugs in other European countries, in order to avoid too long immobilization.
The government is expected to announce new measures on this subject soon.
But the meeting scheduled for Tuesday was once again canceled for scheduling reasons.