The delivery of drugs to the unit will be made compulsory for certain antibiotics in supply shortage, a measure intended to combat shortages and antibiotic resistance, a source close to the matter told AFP on Wednesday. “There’s no rationing. The idea is to make the distribution of medications to the unit compulsory when there is tension. But not all, only certain antibiotics,” this source indicated on Wednesday, as the presentation of the 2024 social security financing bill approaches.
“There is also an interest in fighting antibiotic resistance like this,” she added. This decision could also help reduce waste by delivering the exact number of tablets prescribed, in a country where the consumption of antibiotics remains among the highest in Europe and which was faced last winter with shortages of amoxicillin, a antibiotic commonly used in certain bacterial infections.
This project leaves pharmacists perplexed: they wonder about the practical arrangements and point out a traceability problem. “Cutting out the blisters [packaging shells, Editor’s note], that’s not the right answer. In terms of batch number traceability, it’s a real hassle,” said the president of the union of community pharmacists’ unions (Uspo) last week.
According to the pharmaceutical laboratory lobby (Leem), “there is no consensus on single delivery from an industrial point of view”. The government also wants to allow patients to obtain a diagnosis in a pharmacy if they suspect angina or cystitis, then possible treatment without a prescription if the diagnostic aid test (Trod) turns out to be positive.