Call for applications from pharmacies in four French regions: pharmacies have until September 8 to volunteer in the experimentation of single drug sales.
Four regional health agencies (ARS) have just launched a call for applications from pharmacies to participate in the experience of selling certain antibiotics individually. Selected by the Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Marisol Touraine, the agencies concerned are located in Ile-de-France, Limousin, Lorraine and in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d ‘Azur (PACA) region.
100 “places” available
Pharmacies have until September 8 to volunteer (except the PACA region whose deadline was set for August 31). A total of 100 pharmacy including 25 “witnesses” and 75 “experimenters”. The former continue to deliver boxes while the others only deliver the exact number of antibiotic pills the patient needs. Medicines will be sold in sachets. The patient will have to give his authorization by filling out a form. The hundred or so pharmacies concerned will also obtain remuneration: 300 euros for “witnesses” and 1,500 euros for “experimenters”. The experiment is expected to last three years.
The measure was announced in 2013 by Marisol Touraine. Objective: to save social security by avoiding waste. According to Marisol Touraine, “the French keep 1.5 kilograms of medicine at home per year. By this device, the minister also intends to improve the obervance of the French and limit the waste in this area. The idea was well received by the public (83% of favorable opinions) but much less by the pharmaceutical unions.
Subject of controversy
Will pharmacists apply to participate in the experiments conducted by the ARS? A year ago, the president of the Order of Pharmacists, Isabelle Adanot, fiercely opposed the ministry’s argument that “many European countries sell their drugs individually. “The system works very well,” she objected. “In these countries, pharmacists are organized for this and the packaging has been revised to be closer to the recommended treatment times.”
Comments confirmed by economist Claude Le Pen at the same time, who pointed to the risk of making mistakes in drugs. Other unions were less categorical. This is the case of Philippe Besset, vice-president of the federation of pharmaceutical unions of France (FSPF) who argued that unit sales already exist in France for morphine or for treatments intended for hyperactive children.
Thanks to this measure, the government hopes to reduce the consumption of antibiotics and achieve savings of 100 million euros in 22,000 pharmacies.
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