Last November, he predicted a return to normal "in the coming weeks or months." The Minister of Health, François Braun, was questioned on Tuesday at the National Assembly about persistent shortages of medicines. "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," Braun said during questions to the government. This list "will be further adjusted because there is (...) duplicates," he added, in his response to MP Béatrice Descamps (Liot).
Antibiotics, paracetamol, antiepileptics, anticancer... More and more medicines are running out in pharmacies, in France as elsewhere in Europe, causing growing concern among various actors. Some 3,500 reports of stock-outs and risks of stock-outs were identified in 2022, up sharply from 2,160 in 2021, according to a report recently sent by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM).
'Concrete measures'
Faced with "supply tensions" on certain drugs, "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". He said that "this list will allow us to better study the production chain of each drug and put in place concrete measures to avoid disruptions". "There is also a winter plan, since every winter we increase the consumption of certain drugs, and also a White plan of the drug being put in place," said François Braun.
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And Emmanuel Macron's stated objective of a return of the "industrial sovereignty" of the France "of course also concerns medicines, with France Relance, France 2030 or yesterday Choose France, where drug industries will invest more than a billion euros," he said. The Minister of Health also touted action at European level "to harmonise our policies in the face of shortages".
In recent weeks, François Braun has advocated more transparency on production by pharmaceutical companies, increased European solidarity when a country has stocks and can help those who do not, as well as a European list of essential medicines to guarantee their production in France as in Europe.