The President of the Republic went to Champagne, in Ardèche, to the Aguettant laboratory factory on Tuesday.
“We want to pay the fair price for certain drugs, when it is the essential condition to guarantee French production”, said Emmanuel Macron, from Champagne (Ardèche), Tuesday, June 13. The Head of State presented a plan to relocate drug production during a visit to the Aguettant laboratory factory.
> > The article to read to understand the shortage of medicines in France
In ten years, the production of molecules has dropped considerably in the country. France has gone from first to fifth place among drug producers in Europe, according to a survey by Leem, the union of companies in the sector in France, published in January 2023. Relocation of molecules, “medicine white plan”prevention… Here is what to remember from the Head of State’s announcements.
Production of 50 drugs soon to be relocated
This is Emmanuel Macron’s main commitment: the government will “stabilizing a single list of essential medicines”evaluated “according to the risk of tension”. It currently has 450 drugs, but will evolve according to needs.
“Within these 450, there is a heart list”specified the Head of State, for which “we must relocate” the production line. This restricted list includes 50 drugs, of which 25 “will see their production relocated or significantly increased on national territory (…) in the coming weeks”time to “Finalize plans, announcements and investments to completely relocate the channel”. All for one “total investment of more than 160 million euros”detailed the tenant of the Elysée.
Emmanuel Macron notably mentioned the “midazolam, essential for our anesthesia-resuscitation products”as well as “the active principle of curare, used in intensive care, which was in tension during the crisis” sanitary. “The same for morphine and amoxicillin, an antibiotic used for children”which was particularly missed this winter, “as well as six cancer drugs”.
The implementation of a “white drug plan”
In addition to relocations, the President of the Republic wants to initiate a “winter epidemics management plan to make sure not to run out of drugs and therefore look at the stocks available in all specialties”. “We must be able to pay the right price for these essential medicines, pediatric drugs in particular (…) and negotiate additional supplies for the national territory according to the defined plans”.
In the cases the “more critical”, “a white drug plan will be developed”on the same basis as the systems put in place in hospitals if necessary, he further underlined.
Pursue prevention, vaccination and better prescribe medication in the event of stress
These relocations will not be effective immediately and there will certainly be “emergency situations in the coming months and years”. From then on, the president also emphasized a policy of prevention, and this, “from school”with some “regular meetings and the daily gestures that we learned with the Covid”such as washing your hands regularly or wearing a mask in case of contamination. “All this means fewer patients and therefore less cost for our health system”he pointed out.
The Head of State also wants to promote “the vaccination policy, with the Covid, the flu and bronchiolitis in infants. We will continue to move forward with all the players in the sector and by making pre-orders”he assured.
“When we are sick, we need a more reasonable consumption of drugs. We know that one in two antibiotics is misused”, also recalled Emmanuel Macron. The latter waits “ambitious measures on the part of the Minister of Health on this point so that we can develop, from next winter, very rigorous policies”.