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in collaboration with
Dr. Yves Dour (Doctor in Pharmacy)
Medical validation:
April 17, 2023
In recent weeks, France has experienced a significant shortage of misoprostol, a molecule used in the context of voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG). A real disaster, according to the Observatory of transparency in drug policies.
Many have sounded the alarm. Associations, liberal doctors and midwives hammer it home: abortion pills such as mifepristone and mifepristone are sorely lacking on French territory. These are the two drugs used for medical abortions. This shortage is very worrying for women who do not want to continue their pregnancy.
A production problem involved
It’s on his websitethat the Observatory of transparency in drug policies (OTMeds) questions and worries about the shortage in France of misoprostol, a molecule used for medical abortions.
“For weeks, problems with the availability of misoprostol, a molecule used for medical abortions, have been reported. Despite this reality on the ground, the ANSM indicated on March 5 on his site a re-availability of this medicinal product from Friday, September 23, 2022“, warns the observatory, which has even published a forum on this subject.
If misoprostol is in short supply, it’s because the production of this patented medicine”is concentrated on a single site“, further specifies the organization.
“In the event of an industrial problem, such as an impurity, which slows down or stops manufacturing, there is no fallback solution. The monopoly linked to the intellectual property status of the drug in question deprives us of alternative solutions. Finally, concentration makes production vulnerable to the actions of anti-abortion lobbies. It is therefore urgent to think of another system, which takes the manufacture of medicines out of intellectual property and monopolistic production, which are among the factors of shortages.“, details the OTMeds, before calling “to change system“.
Indeed, once the shortage is established, it is difficult to find alternative solutions.
A “hinder for women who want an abortion”
Sarah Durocher, president of Family Planning, confirms this in the columns of Release. She mentions “difficulties in obtaining abortion pills such as mifepristone“which have been going on for weeks.
“These alerts are worrying because they constitute an obstacle for people who want to have an abortion.“, she explains.”French law provides that anyone who wishes to have an abortion can choose the method (depending on the deadlines), but today this is no longer the case.“.
An observation shared by the OTMeds which recalls having already reported the problem as soon as March 5Then on April 7 during our hearing in the Senate and published a forum that addresses these availability issues in particular.
A lack of reaction from the health authorities?
“What is a constitutional principle worth if a government does not act to make it effective and operational?protests the organization, before inviting the senators and senators who are members of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into drug shortages “to address this issue as soon as possible“.
Questioned by Liberation, Jérome Martin, co-founder of OTMeds, evokes the solution of relocating the production of priority drugs, “partly public, in order to escape these market logics on supply and demand“.
For his part, Dr. Dour, doctor of pharmacy, tells us that he has no information on this subject, because the abortion pill is above all prescribed in health centers or family planning.