The ANSM has just published the list of medicines for children that can be used to replace paracetamol, which has been experiencing supply tensions for several months.
- Paracetamol is an analgesic that relieves several types of pain, such as headaches, dental pain, joint pain, flu-related pain, etc. It also helps to lower fever.
- According to Vidal, it is the most used analgesic.
In 2022, nearly 10 million additional boxes of pediatric paracetamol were sold compared to 2021, notes the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) in a press release published on February 3, 2023. This lists the pediatric medicines that can be used to replace paracetamol.
Supply tensions on paracetamol
For several months, there have been supply tensions on paracetamol. The ANSM gives several reasons such as “the increase in consumption linked in particular to the significant scale of the three seasonal epidemics of recent weeks, bronchiolitis, influenza and Covid-19” as well as “the impact of the geopolitical situation (…) in particular for access to cardboard and aluminum, essential raw materials for packaging paracetamol”.
Faced with this, a list of pediatric drugs to use according to the weight of the child is now available. She “in particular makes it possible to identify the drugs that can currently be dispensed by pharmacists to replace the drug mentioned on the prescription in the event of its immediate unavailability.“The authority specifies that it is health professionals and patient associations who have developed it.
Medicines according to the weight of the child
To replace Doliprane 100 milligrams, out of stock, the ANSM advises the “Doliprane 2.4%, oral suspension” for children from 3 to 4 kilograms or the “Dolko 60 mg / 2 ml, oral solution in vial” for those weighing 3.5 to 4 kilograms. Afterwards, “several alternative presentations to multidose oral forms of paracetamol are available for children from 4 kg, the choice of which must be made according to the weight of the child”, indicates the health instance.
Medicated solutions are specified for different weight ranges, ranging from 4-6 to 27-50 kilograms. Nevertheless, the ANSM reminds that if a child’s temperature does not exceed 38.5 degrees, it is not necessarily necessary to give him medicine for the fever.
“Simple gestures can relieve a child of fever and associated signs of discomfort, says the press release. They can be adopted before any administration of paracetamol to a child. This can be, for example, removing layers of clothing from him, without undressing him completely, and installing him in a cool, airy room (between 18 and 20°C). Give him something to drink often, even if he doesn’t ask you to, such as cold water.”
