The Head of State extended, on Tuesday June 13, his communication offensive launched in May on the theme of reindustrialization. Emmanuel Macron presented in Ardèche a plan to relocate drug production to France, to deal with structural shortages of imported products, from antibiotics to paracetamol.
The President of the Republic announced the publication of a list of 450 drugs for which a “Secure Supply Chains” will take priority. It must be detailed by the Minister of Health, François Braun, on Tuesday afternoon. “We have no right to have weakness”insisted Mr. Macron about the molecules “essential” present on this list.
“What we have experienced (…) we must not reproduce it”he added, referring to certain substances missing during the health crisis or certain supply chains of which were disrupted by the war in Ukraine from the start of 2022. Stocks will be monitored and controlled by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM).
Within this list of 450 drugs, a selection of 50 molecules will be prioritized for their relocation – “the heart of the heart of the reactor”, according to the expression chosen by the Head of State. The relocation of half of this tightened list will succeed ” in the next weeks “according to Emmanuel Macron, who mentioned eight relocation projects already integrated into the France 2030 plan for state support of 160 million euros.
Among the devices already announced during a message from the presidency broadcast on Twitter, the British GSK must invest 22 million euros to modernize its amoxicillin production site in Mayenne. This antibiotic, the most prescribed to children to treat infections, is regularly out of stock.
The Head of State, who will be accompanied by the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, the Minister of Health, François Braun, and the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure, went to Champagne for a visit to the pharmaceutical laboratory Watching. This trip was identified as the first in a series of presidential meetings devoted to strengthening French industrial and technological sovereignty, which will continue until next Monday.
Antibiotics, paracetamol, antiepileptics, anticancer drugs… More and more drugs are running out of pharmacies, in France and elsewhere in Europe, causing growing concern among various players. According to the BVA study carried out for France Assos Santé in March 2023, 37% of French people have been faced with shortages in pharmacies, underlines the Elysée.
A problem partly linked to an excessive dependence on foreign countries. France depends 60% to 80% on imports, particularly from China, for the production of so-called mature drugs (antibiotics, anesthesia products, etc.), a threshold that rises to 95% for biomedicines. To respond to these shortages, a list of 281 “critical” drugs, the production of which is likely to be relocated, was given to François Braun in mid-May. Expected by the sector, its content should be published on Tuesday.
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