A list of 280 so-called “essential” drugs, but whose stocks are in danger, has been established, the Minister of Health announced on Wednesday May 10. What are they ?
Invited on CNews this Wednesday, May 10 in the morning, the Minister of Health, François Braun, returned to the shortages of drugs that have been hitting France and more generally Europe for a few months already. “I had a first list last night, which contains 280 drugs. It will be adjusted a little more”, he said while the development of this list of so-called “essential” drugs and in shortage had was announced at the beginning of February. However, the list in question has not yet been revealed. Nevertheless, amoxicillin, paracetamol, the antiepileptic sabril or even insulin are mentioned.
If no date has been mentioned concerning a possible publication of this famous list of 280 drugs, on the site of the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), it is however possible to find a list of medical products who are currently facing tensions regarding their stocks. It includes, among others: the antiviral rovalcyte, paracetamol (dry and drinkable oral forms, and suppositories), doliprane for children, also pediatric efferalgan, novorapid (insulin) or the antibiotic amoxicillin.
As pointed out Le Figaro, the creation of a precise list of medicines whose stocks are under pressure is part of a larger government project, which has clearly shown for several months, and even since the Covid-19 pandemic, its desire to find solutions to avoid future drug shortages. The next step will consist in establishing for each of these drugs “all the manufacturing points, i.e. of the active ingredient […] up to the bottling, the tableting, to really control the whole production chain”, had detailed on BFMTV / RMC the Minister of Health a few weeks ago, explaining then that the objective was above all to “ensure that these essential medicines will always be available”.