The president of the Order of Pharmacists, Isabelle Adenot, strongly criticizes the experimental dispensation project at the antibiotics unit.
“Learning through the media, without prior consultation, the future of one’s profession is, the word is weak, unpleasant. This unilateral ministerial declaration raises questions. »Isabelle Adenot, President of the Order of Pharmacists (Cnop), has just pronounced a virulent load concerning the government plan to experiment with dispensing antibiotics to the dispensary unit, in the November issue of the Journal de l’Ordre.
Waste: the fault of the lack of patient compliance
On October 25, MEPs gave the green light to unit sales of certain antibiotics in order to avoid waste or poor self-medication. The duration of these experiments will be three years, against four in the initial project, in order to decide more quickly on their extension or not. Thanks to this measure, the Government hopes to reduce the consumption of antibiotics and thus achieve savings of 100 million euros in 22,000 pharmacies.
But on the side of the Order, the measure is contested. “The magic of thought cannot exempt from the realism of practice. The unit dispensing project surprised all pharmacists, including representatives of the profession, ”says Isabelle Adenot in this editorial.
And the latter recalled that “unit dispensation has already been implemented in several European countries and in the United States. However, for the president, “in these countries”, pharmacists are organized for this and the packaging […] have been revised to be closer to the recommended treatment times. “
Isabelle Adenot goes on to indicate that, “all the drugs dispensed are not used, but, as we all know, more by lack of compliance than for any other reason. “
Traceability, overall cost, invoicing … too many unanswered questions
In addition, the President of the Order stresses that many questions about this experiment still remain unanswered (patient information, traceability, invoicing, recognition of time spent, evidence provided by the pharmacist to ensure that the medication dispensed is the correct one, entry in the pharmaceutical file, overall cost, etc.).
“This experimentation proposal made urbi et orbi, without first ensuring the first signs of answers to these questions or the support of the field, arouses the incomprehension of professionals as the reality is complex”, indicates- she.
“In a few days, we will know if it becomes reality. If this is the case, the evaluation will at least make it possible to settle the question, ”she concludes.
The risks of unit packaging
For some health actors, unitary drug packaging can pose problems. Indeed, according to Claude Le Pen, health economist, recently contacted by Why actor, “Unit packaging of the drug is risky. “ With this unique packaging, all medicine boxes look alike. Most of the time, it is a small, orange-colored plastic bottle, he argues. Only a label with the name of the product, that of the patient, and the dosage, makes it possible to differentiate one treatment from another.
From there, the risks of confusion between two drugs are numerous for the pharmacist, but also for the patient. “These errors which are possible can be dramatic for the health of patients. “, concluded Claude Le Pen.
Listen to Claude Le Pen : ” There is a risk of confusion because the packaging of the medicine by the unit does not make a difference for the patient. The risk is the same for the pharmacist. That’s why in France, we always gave it up…” (interview carried out on 09/26/13)
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