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Emmanuel Macron announced a plan for the total or partial relocation of 50 drugs deemed essential. This is due in particular to a dependence on certain countries. But does France have the means to produce its own medicines? Response elements.
It is the most consumed drug in France: paracetamol. 500 million boxes are sold each year, which makes France the country with the highest consumption in Europe. But it is psometimes difficult to find in pharmacies. “Today, there is hardly a prescription, where we do not tell our patients: ‘Be careful, we no longer have this product'”notes Frederic Desmoulinpharmacist in Issy-les-Moulineaux. The problem is that in 2008, France stopped manufacturing the active ingredient of mediclove.
Paracetamol factory in 2026
It has become dependent on countries that produce it at low cost. 80% of the active ingredients in the medicines we consume are produced in China, India and other Southeast Asian countries. Since the Covid crisis, the global demand for paracetamol exploded. Emmanuel Macron pledged to relocate production to France three years ago. A factory is under construction in Isère, but it will be necessary to wait until 2026 for the first cachet to be marketed.
The 100 million euro factory is financed 40% with public money. But it may not be profitable. “Since the closure of the factory for its lack of profitability, production costs have increased sharply, and selling prices have fallen.“, explains Frederic weirdhealth economist.