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Dr. Yves Dour (Doctor in Pharmacy)
Medications seem to run out in turn. After amoxicillin, it is now the turn of Doliprane syrup to be absent subscribers on the shelves of pharmacies. The explanations of Yves Dour, doctor of pharmacy and member of the committee of experts of Doctissimo.
Parents are worried: after the shortage of amoxicillin, it is now the turn of Doliprane syrup, Doliprane 2.4% produced by Sanofi laboratories, to miss the call. Many pharmacies are out of stock at the start of winter, with the added bonus of the epidemics of Covid-19, bronchiolitis and influenza which are in full swing.
Medicine for pain and fever
The pink wrapper syrup is well known to parents. Indeed, paracetamol is the molecule prescribed in first intention to treat pain and fever, in children from birth. Practical, Doliprane comes in the form of a strawberry-flavored syrup, with a kilo pipette dosed according to the weight of the child, which makes it easy to give him the right dose of treatment.
A lack of raw materials
The problem is that the supply of Doliprane syrup is increasingly complicated for pharmacies. According to Yves Dour, community pharmacist in Le Mans and member of the Doctissimo expert committee, the scarcity of the drug has several explanations: “The raw material – paracetamol – is available in limited quantities on the one hand, most certainly, due to insufficient French production and foreign production subject to delivery” indicates the pharmacist.
Tensions for several weeks?
“In addition, glass is also a raw material in tension, due to its cost and the limited production volumes while it constitutes the very basis of the container. Add to that a social movement at Sanofi…. All this means that the supply is limited, especially since with the covid epidemic combined with all the other pathologies, the laboratories have never replenished their stocks“adds the pharmacist, painting a rather bleak picture of the situation.”And given the cost of French production more expensive than abroad, we will still struggle and be dependent on the vagaries of transport and energy costs, this may not work out right away.“.
What to do in case of shortage in his pharmacy?
What to do then, if you need to give Doliprane to your child and there is none or no more in the pharmacy? “Ask your pharmacist for advice” recalls Yves Dour, “who will do the best“. According to him, pharmacies have other products, “sticks of different dosages, 500 mg effervescent tablets that can be cut in half, for children… With the different brands (Efferalgan, Dafalgan…) and generic paracetamol, there are alternatives. The health professional must be able to help the parents” says the pharmacist again.
Recall that at the end of November, the Minister of Health François Braun took stock of the situation and estimated that the problem would be resolved within “coming weeks and months“.