February 28, 2018
According to the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), the number of drugs out of stock has jumped by 30% in one year. Reasons to be found on the production side, but also on the distribution chain.
Sharp increase in the number of drugs out of stock in 2017
There have probably been times when you went to your usual pharmacy and did not get your medicine because it was out of stock. An embarrassing situation when it comes to a vaccine, but extremely serious when it concerns an MITM, a drug of major therapeutic interest, that is to say whose interruption of treatment could jeopardize the vital prognosis of patients. short to medium term patients.
According to the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), the stock shortages are due to difficulties related to the production of these medicines. They can also arise in the distribution chain. In 2017, nearly 530 drugs were out of stock. A number ” which remains to be consolidated »Reports the Parisian.
Drug supply: a public health problem
The number of drugs out of stock has significantly increased compared to previous years. He would even have ” jumped 30% in one year “ according to the calculations of our colleagues, who specify that ” the shortage concerned 405 specialties in 2016 and 391 in 2015 “.
These drug supply disruptions are a real public health concern and worry the order of pharmacists. The latter recalls that thewe talk about out of stock when the pharmacy fails to provide the drug within 72 hours.
Faced with this supply problem, pharmacists are placing their hopes in the law to modernize our health system, which ” will strengthen the French system, which is already based on several public health obligations, like those that wholesalers-distributors must respect (always have 15 days of stock, have 90% of the drug collection in stock, supply France before exporting, etc.) “.
Perrine Deurot-Bien
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