It should be much easier to find amoxicillin very soon. The Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) wanted to reassure Tuesday in the face of supply tensions for this very common antibiotic, which has become rare in pharmacies since this fall.
“Boxes of amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid are currently being delivered to wholesale distributors, who will ensure equitable distribution of them throughout the territory,” writes the ANSM in a press release.
An alternative solution for children
“If amoxicillin-based medications are not available, it is always possible for pharmacists to directly dispense a compounded preparation (made for a given patient, according to a medical prescription) suitable for children under 12 years of age,” also underlines the ANSM.
In mid-December, the agency noted that the situation regarding the availability of amoxicillin continued to deteriorate, particularly for the drinkable forms used in pediatrics. It was then noted, following a meeting with the players in the drug chain (industrialists, depositaries, wholesalers-distributors, community and hospital pharmacists), that the manufacturers released their stocks and immediately put them to use. the provision of wholesale distributors so that they distribute them equitably in pharmacies across the country.
A year ago, an already significant shortage
At the request of the government, stakeholders committed, in a non-binding charter signed in November, to ensuring that the distribution of antibiotics is better distributed in order to guarantee access to patients this winter.
Last winter, France experienced a particularly severe episode of shortages of certain medications, including amoxicillin, which had been very difficult to find for many weeks, particularly in its version for children.