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Shortage of drugs: where is production in France?

2023-03-10T18:53:15.757Z


INFOGRAPHICS - Former European leader, France suffers from drug shortages. Overview of the main places of production and relocation of treatments.


Amoxicillin, Doliprane, cough syrup… Many medicines suffer from shortages or supply tensions, forcing the French to go around pharmacies in search of precious remedies.

Leader from 1995 to 2008, France is today the 4th producer of medicines in Europe after Switzerland, Germany and Italy and occupies the 5th position worldwide.

Where are the drugs produced in France?

France has 271 drug production sites, located mainly in Île-de-France, Normandy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Centre-Val de Loire, according to a study by Leem (the professional organization of drug companies operating in France) dating from 2018. And around 80 sites are involved in the production of active ingredients, notes a report from the National Assembly, dating from June 2021.

While Europe is calling for greater independence in pharmaceutical production, particularly since the health crisis, many industries have relocated.

Lower production costs, less strict regulatory constraints, growing demand abroad... For Philippe Lamoureux, Managing Director of Leem (Les Entreprises du Médicament), we are "in a situation of strategic dependence

for our supplies of raw materials and our drugs

”.

40% of EU medicines come from third countries such as China and India.

60 to 80% of the active ingredients are also produced there, such as paracetamol.

Since 2008, we no longer produce this active ingredient in France

says Laure Lechertier, Market Access Director at UPSA.

"

Paracetamol was sold at a high price and manufacturers could no longer navigate their production cost

," she says.

Read alsoWhy France lacks drugs

The geopolitical situation and the war in Ukraine have increased the cost of inputs, such as aluminum or glass

,” explains Philippe Lamoureux.

Except that the price of drugs in France is set by the authorities: "

We suffered the full brunt of inflation on raw materials and packaging, and we could not pass it on to our prices,

" says Laure Lechertier.

An 8g box of Dafalgan (paracetamol) is sold for 76 cents when leaving the factory.

"

With an investment of 17 million euros per year in our industrial tool, we have to sell boxes of it,

" she quips.

Read alsoWhy France lacks drugs

"

Having overregulation and heavier taxation than our neighbors

" partly explains the loss of competitiveness of the territory, according to Philippe Lamoureux.

Of more than 300 drugs authorized in Europe between 2016 and 2021, only 42 are produced in France, compared to 112 in Germany.

The growth of the turnover of the pharmaceutical industry in France is almost zero… It is hard to attract production and economic activity in a market in which there is no growth to pull investments

“adds the director of Leem.

Another problem: a longer delay in getting drugs to market than in other countries.

The product arrives on the market in Germany in 130 days, compared to 500 for France

”.

Regarding bioproduction, these therapeutic drugs based on biological products, “

France is less well placed than its European neighbors with one exception: the vaccine,

” says Philippe Lamoureux.

However, “

pharmaceutical innovations and added value are focused

” on these drugs, notes the NA report.

Read alsoBMS invests in all directions to renew its drug portfolio

Towards a reindustrialization of the pharmaceutical industry

"

With the Covid crisis, we are now repatriating paracetamol to France

", rejoices Laure Lechertier.

The Seqens group is setting up a new production unit for the active ingredient in Roussillon (38).

"

On paracetamol, the state has done a lot,

" says the Director of Market Access at UPSA, who is delighted to be able to work more in a short circuit.

The company has made a long-term commitment to this project through investments and orders, even if it will continue to import paracetamol to avoid possible supply problems.

Of the 30 drugs that France lacked the most at the start of the pandemic, 24 are being relocated,

” said Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry.

The relocation of the production of strategic drugs and their active ingredient is at the center of the “

France 2030

” plan, announced by Emmanuel Macron in June 2021. “

The Covid crisis made us realize that this industry is strategic for the country, in the same way as defense and telecoms

,” explains Philippe Lamoureux.

During a call for projects, 12 were funded in the first half of 2022.

As part of a previous 2020-2022 recovery plan for health industries, 187 relocation projects have already been supported, representing public aid of 800 million euros, explains the Directorate General for Enterprise.

The goal is “

to increase the competitiveness of French healthcare companies while strengthening product supply chains

”.

The Minister of Health, François Braun, announced the creation of a list of so-called "

critical

" drugs, whether on the "

industrial

" or "

health

" level, specifies the DGE, in order to compensate for any new shortages.

Price increases have also been announced on certain generics, in "

reciprocal commitments by manufacturers to secure the supply of the French market

", specifies the DGE.

We will be attentive to the conditions of deployment of these measures because, for the moment, these are just announcements

” concludes the director of Leem.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-03-10

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