They were eagerly awaited.
As of Monday, the self-tests to detect the coronavirus will be available in pharmacies.
Only the latter are indeed authorized to sell these very popular rapid tests.
The decree allowing and regulating their marketing was published this Sunday in the Official Journal, setting a maximum price of 6 euros.
Gilles Bonnefond, president of the Union of Community Pharmacists Unions (USPO), fears that this last-minute authorization is not enough to allow pharmacists to be ready to kick off.
"
We will not be ready tomorrow
[Monday]
at 8 am
", he worried at the microphone of franceinfo this Sunday, April 11.
Read also: Self-tests: behind the scenes of the battle between pharmacists and distributors
One concern torments pharmacists: the potential delays in delivery.
Two manufacturers have already received approval authorizing them to sell this device: AAZ and Biosynex.
But the two laboratories must face a strong demand, in particular pharmacies, explains Larry Abensur, CEO of Biosynex, in Figaro.
The boss recognizes that tensions on deliveries could be felt in April.
And shower in the passage of hopes: deliveries will begin Monday in "a
few thousand
" pharmacies only.
Especially since the pharmacies are not the only ones to have placed important orders.
The State has already reserved 5 million doses (2.5 million from AAZ and the same number from Biosynex) for the reopening of schools.
However, Public Health France has agreed to release a number of these tests so that pharmacies can be delivered next week, specifies Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of dispensing pharmacists (FSPF).
Biosynex is also facing strong demand from abroad.
But he assures him,
"we have gone to great lengths and reinforced our teams to respond to all these orders"
.
300 temporary workers have been recruited for this purpose.
20 million available in May
“It takes time for all of this to be put in place because the authorization of self-tests is very recent in France. The objective is to meet a good part of the demand in April and to increase our production exponentially for the next month ”,
explains the CEO.
From the first week, Biosynex aims to deliver one million self-tests in the form of boxes of five.
They can also be sold individually.
“In May, we will have a global capacity, all markets combined, of 20 million self-tests,”
says Larry Abensure.
For his part, pharmacist Philippe Besset is also confident.
"From the end of April, we will find self-tests in quantity in all pharmacies in France,"
he predicts.
Read also: No self-tests in supermarkets: the controversy mounts over the blocking of the government
In Germany, self-tests were taken by storm by customers as soon as they went on sale in supermarkets on March 6.
Should we expect a similar phenomenon in France?
Philippe Besset allows himself to doubt it.
He plans to receive ten self-tests only this Monday, and to renew his orders every day according to demand, out of prudence.
