Each year, a list of medications to avoid, due to a lack of effectiveness or serious risks, is published in the journal Prescrire.
You have probably already taken this little pink tablet at least once in your life, especially if you are a woman. Spasfon has recently been singled out in the Prescribe magazinewhich each year publishes a list of medications to avoid. This antispasmodic indicated against intestinal or even gynecological pain is nevertheless widely marketed. According to the magazine, 26 million boxes of this pink tablet were reimbursed in 2023 in France. And that’s without counting the self-medication of this medication, “commonplace in France” according to Prescrire. It is also one of the only countries, with Italy, to authorize the marketing of Spasfon.
But then why is this medication pinned? It’s simple: it would not be more effective than a placebo. “Its symptomatic effectiveness on recurrent benign intestinal disorders is uncertain. In other clinical situations, there is nothing to expect from phloroglucinol – the name of the Spasfon molecule – beyond the effectiveness of a placebo” , reveals the magazine Prescrire. In addition to its effectiveness being seriously questioned, taking Spasfon can even be risky. “Serious allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock and Lyell syndrome – a skin disorder which can be fatal – have been attributed” to Spasfon, warns the report.
There are also risks for pregnant women, since it could cause malformations in the fetus. The authors of the review also point the finger at “fragile” clinical trials. Faced with these conclusions, the journal Prescrire therefore recommends “not recommending its use as self-medication”. For pregnant women, the authors of the report even believe that Spasfon “should be avoided regardless of the clinical situation”.
This popular drug had already been at the heart of debate for several months, following the publication of the book “Pink pills. Ignorance in medicine”, by the philosopher Juliette Ferry-Danini in 2023. Its lack of effectiveness had precisely been there. pointed out. Spasfon is not the only common medication to have been highlighted by Prescrire magazine this year: it is part of a long list of 88 medications marketed in France, considered “more dangerous than useful” for Prescrire. Among them: Smecta, a treatment for diarrhea, and the cough syrup Toplexil were also added to the 2025 blacklist of drugs.