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More than 3,000 drugs in shortage, according to a Senate report. In the event of supply difficulties, the government announced that individual sales would be compulsory.
Medications not found in pharmacies. Recurring images last winter, for amoxicillin in particular. The government wants out-of-stock antibiotics to be delivered individually and not by box. For pharmacists, dispensing tablet by tablet is not so simple and raises the question of traceability. “For a number of years, we have been tracing the boxes. Nothing is done for that, for the tablets. This is something for which our tools must be adapted“explains Michel Leroy, pharmacist in Paris.
A good solution for patient associations
The sale of individual medications has been around for a long time in England. Patient associations in France are calling for it. “It is a good solution to combat shortages, to be more relevant in prescriptions, to avoid wasting medicines and to better respond to public health issues.“, argues Catherine Simonin, member of the France Assos Santé office. In the event of a shortage, a compulsory test must be carried out in the event of angina to verify that the antibiotics are indeed necessary.