The triple epidemic observed in France, the explosion of Covid-19 in China, the growing difficulties of supply complicate access to certain drugs based on paracetamol. Since January 4, their sale on the Internet is temporarily prohibited.
Like a sense of déjà vu. As China faces an outbreak of Covid-19 and that several countries in the world – including France – impose tests for all travelers from this country, including in the event of a stopover elsewhere, the online sale of certain paracetamol-based drugs (such as Doliprane and Dafalgan) has just been temporarily banned.
An executive order suspends the sale of these pharmaceutical products on the Internet. This restriction will last until the end of January and only applies to medicines containing only paracetamol. This situation recalls a similar ban on paracetamol, ibuprofen and acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) in March 2020.
The explosion of Covid-19 in China affects access to paracetamol
The government declares to take this decision in view of a tension on these drugs which lasts ” for more than six months “, without the measures taken by the health authorities having made it possible to put an end to it. Added to this is a very degraded epidemic situation in China, which raises fears ” a risk of aggravation of supply tensions. »
China turns out to be a very important producer of these specialties. However, in addition to the extreme increase in contamination, there are the difficulties of production in the country to produce more drugs (there is not enough labor to populate the production lines) and the requisition of drugs by Beijing — exports have been banned since the end of December.
As a result of the races, the world market has much more difficulty in obtaining supplies. This control of the sale falls relatively badly for a country like France, which is facing a triple epidemic: in addition to Covid-19 (down in early January on the contamination side), France is affected by many cases of flu and bronchiolitis.
The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products, in October 2022, had already announced leads to ” limit supply tensions “. At the time, she advocated ” limit the online sale of paracetamol » and not to prescribe more than two boxes per patient, except on justification. She also called on the public to refrain from stocking up on paracetamol.
The difficulties of pharmacies in obtaining supplies of Doliprane have been gradually increasing in pharmacies since the summer of 2022 – to the point that the situation be described as a shortage. This is caused by tensions in the production chain of Sanofi on this drug, and this since the pandemic.
