the ANSM warns of the difficulties affecting the supply of amoxicillin due to poor distribution of available stocks

In its situation update for the month of December, the Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) alerted Tuesday, December 26, in a press release sent to franceinfo, about the difficulties affecting “the supply of certain major winter drugs”, such as amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. This fall, the ANSM launched a winter plan dedicated to these drugs. The agency reports “significant difficulties in distributing boxes of amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid”. These difficulties in distributing available stocks throughout the territory make “their access is very complicated for patients”.

According to the ANSM, the “the situation continues to deteriorate in pharmacies, particularly for drinkable forms used in pediatrics, despite the presence of stocks declared at industrial level”, this is why the Medicines Safety Agency is asking manufacturers to “immediately make the majority of their stocks available to wholesalers-distributors, so that the boxes are distributed fairly in pharmacies and positioned as close as possible to patients”. Boxes of amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid “are currently being delivered to wholesale distributors, who will ensure equitable distribution of these across the territory”assures the ANSM.

The Medicines Safety Agency would like to remind “all stakeholders the importance of using antibiotics correctly. Overconsumption and unjustified use of antibiotics constitute the main causes of the development of antibiotic resistance which contributes to reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics”. The Ministry of Health and Prevention “asked in November all players in the pharmaceutical chain (industrialists, depositaries, wholesalers-distributors, community and hospital pharmacists) to commit to a fair distribution of drug stocks”to avoid these supply difficulties.