This is an observation that pharmacists are making: there are indeed difficulties finding certain medications in New Caledonia. Last year’s crisis and the territory’s distance from France are among the reasons given to explain these supply difficulties.
The observation is confirmed: certain medications are difficult to find in Caledonian territory. Starting with the flu vaccine, the new version of which is not expected before April or May.
But this is also the case for other molecules. “We are experiencing a rebound effect compared to mainland France. We have had tensions on molecules like Amoxicillin or Trulicity for diabetes”explains Christophe Delest, president of the pharmacists’ union of New Caledonia.
The country’s pharmacies are hampered in their operation for several reasons: last year’s crisis, France’s positioning and strategy on the global medicines market, and once again the distance. “Supply takes a long time in New Caledonia. We have around 45 days at sea, plus customs clearance. Sometimes, the laboratories in mainland France are out of medicines, because we are the country in Europe that buys the cheapest possible medicines, because we have social coverage which is the best compared to the rest of the world”details Dorothée Couillaud, pharmacist. “And one of the wholesalers was burned down last year and they had to redistribute logistics.”
-The riots have in fact damaged the GPNC, one of the wholesalers of Caledonian pharmacies. They are now turning to Unipharma, with inevitable consequences on working methods. “The GPNC now finds itself in smaller premises than those they had initially and pharmacists are sometimes forced to order from the other wholesaler”continues Dorothée Couillaud.
Adapting to this reality is a challenge for the 64 pharmacies identified in New Caledonia. Especially since a whooping cough epidemic has been raging in the region in recent weeks. Sixteen cases are currently recorded for January 2025.
Health
