Some French pharmacies note breaks in stock of flu vaccines while the epidemic intensifies in the country.
- Fluing vaccine stocks are in high tension in certain French pharmacies.
- The pharmacies no longer manage to provide themselves with wholesalers.
- The health authorities announce that additional doses will be made available to pharmacies.
The influenza epidemic intensifies in France. “”At the beginning of January 2025, the influenza activity was raised in the hospital in all age groups, indicating significant severity of the epidemic “announced the Ministry of Health in a press release published on January 14. Vaccination is the best protection against the virus, especially for people at risk. But for a few days, vaccine stocks have been in tension in certain pharmacies.
Vaccine against flu: ruptures observed everywhere in France
HAS TF1Pierre-Olivier Variot, president of the USPO (the union of unions of pharmacists), underlines that the observation concerns the whole country, but that there are inequalities between the regions and even within a same city. “”To give an idea, at the start of the week, there were 400,000 doses left, but 50 % were held by 10 % of pharmacies, so we can see that the distribution is not necessarily fair“, He specifies. In Wasselonne in the Bas-Rhin, for example, Christian Barth, pharmacist, is faced with a shortage of doses.”We have had a rush in the last fifteen days, he underlines RTL. I don’t have any more, when we had 1,000 at the start of the season. This is the number you order each year. Wholesalers are dry too. It is unavailable everywhere. “ In Marseille, several pharmacists face the same situation. HAS France 3 Provence -Alpes -Côte d’Azurthey explain to be unable to order new doses, when it was still possible a few days ago. “”Each year, it is diabetes drugs, tension, which are breaking, and now vaccines and we have no explanations, Entrusts one of the officials of the Prado Mermoz pharmacy to our colleagues. It’s the total blur, and it’s always like that. We are a little helpless in this situation.“”
How to explain the stock -of -the -valve stock breaks?
In his interview at TF1the president of the USPO, Pierre-Olivier Variot, provides some explanations to these tensions on stocks. He recalls that the doses of vaccine are ordered once a year, depending on the vaccine doses issued the previous year. “”Vaccination started slowly and at the end of last week, we had vaccinated as many people as last year, so all the vaccines that have taken place for ten days, it’s more“He says.
He also recalls that pharmacists are the only ones to take “the risk of stock “. “”The current situation of pharmacies is not good, so pharmacists order the minimum of what they think is fair, because no one can afford to throw 50 vaccines today “develops the health professional.
Flu: What reaction of the health authorities in the face of tensions on vaccines?
Monday, January 13, the Directorate General of Health announced that stocks should be available for pharmacies. “”In order to support in recent weeks of flu circulation and due to the holding of insufficient stocks in certain pharmacies of pharmacies across the national territory, we wish to communicate on the provision Progressive additional doses of the following vaccines with wholesalers-reparters: Fluarix Tetra (GSK laboratory), Vaxigrip Tetra (Sanofi-Pasteur laboratory) and Influvac Tetra (Viatris Laboratory) “specifies the document. In its press release published last week, the Ministry of Health stresses that the vaccination campaign is due to end on January 31.
