Why Ventolin is the subject of supply tensions in France, in the midst of an allergy peak

“For several weeks, the number of doses on the market has not been sufficient to meet” the needs of French patients, due to strong global demand, the British laboratory GlaxoSmithKline, which produces the drug, confirmed on Friday.

News that worries people with asthma. The vice-president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France, Fabrice Camaioni, expressed his “anger”Friday June 7 on France Inter, in front of a “breakup” stock of Ventolin “fairly deep” on “the entire national territory”. And this, while France is experiencing an allergy peak due to grass pollen. Ventolin is an inhaled medication which helps relieve the bronchi of people suffering from asthma, whose attacks are likely to be triggered, among other things, by an allergy to pollen.

In response to alerts from pharmacists in recent days, the British laboratory GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which produces Ventolin, reported on Friday “tensions” drug supply “in places in France” due to strong global demand. The laboratory is “to the maximum of its production capacities” but “for several weeks, the number of doses on the market has not been sufficient to meet demand”, according to a GSK spokesperson, who did not say whether other countries were affected by supply difficulties. The group nevertheless said “confident” so that the situation is “fast enough” settled thanks “reinforcement in terms of stocks” from its Spanish production site.

“There is no dead break” but “supply tensions felt on the ground” for two asthma medications, Ventolin and Seretide, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) told AFP. “The GSK laboratory has informed the ANSM that the stocks available to date of Ventolin and for the majority of dosages of Seretide should make it possible to cover the needs of patients”, specifies the organization to franceinfo. However, the latter requested “management measures (…) to laboratories marketing asthma medications in order to secure the situation in the city and preserve available stocks”.

These measures aim to “objective of fairly distributing supplies across the entire territory and preserving available stocks over time”, also details the ANSM to franceinfo. The Ministry of Health is “in close and constant connection with the ANSM” And “monitoring the situation closely”assures the latter to franceinfo, adding that “Patients must of course continue their treatment.”

The price of Ventolin is “4.60 euros in France when it’s around 32 euros in Italy”reports from AFP Pierre-Olivier Variot, president of the Union of Community Pharmacists’ Unions (Uspo). “This difference should not help ensure that the French market is supplied”, he believes, while the question of the purchase and sale price of medicines in the country, and its link with shortages, is regularly debated. Questioned on this subject by franceinfo, GSK did not respond to our requests.