THE ESSENTIAL
- For the second year in a row, a winter plan to anticipate, monitor and manage possible shortages affecting major winter medications has been put in place.
- It aims to secure coverage of health product needs and to provide equitable access to these medicines for all patients during the winter.
- Due to the high tensions observed since the fall of 2023, two antibiotics from the macrolide family were added this year.
Shortages of essential treatments for patients are becoming more and more common. According to a recent report from the ANSM, nearly 5,000 reports of stock shortages or risks of stock shortages were recorded in 2023. This represents a third more than in 2022 and 6 times more than in 2018. To prevent this recurring problem, the National Medicines Safety Agency announced the activation of its 2024-2025 winter plan on October 10, 2024.
Fight against drug shortages: two antibiotics added
The winter plan to combat drug shortages for winter 2024-2025 provides for monitoring of major treatments for winter pathologies. That is, antibiotics, fever medications, corticosteroids, and asthma medications.
It was reinforced with “lessons learned from the previous season” et “the areas for improvement identified with patient associations, representatives of healthcare professionals and actors in the supply chain”, assures the ANSM in its press release.
Thus, the list of molecules monitored includes two antibiotics from the macrolide family due to the high tensions observed since the fall of 2023. These are oral azithromycin (40 mg/ml) and oral clarithromycin (25 mg /ml and 50 mg/ml).
Conversely, paracetamol in dry oral form (250 mg and 500 mg) and prednisone (5 and 20 mg) have been withdrawn, because supplies remain stable.
“In total, this list includes 13 molecules which are subject to increased surveillance. It includes antibiotics (amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, azithromycin and clarithromycin), medicines for fever (paracetamol), corticosteroids (prednisolone) and medicines indicated for the treatment of asthma (fluticasone and salbutamol). These are mainly pediatric forms, which are the most likely to be the subject of tensions. specifies the organization.
Whooping cough: measures to improve access to clarithromycin
During the implementation of the plan, the ANSM will publish each week the management indicators which assess the availability of essential treatments to combat winter viruses. For its first report of the season, the organization notes that the availability and distribution of pediatric medications based on amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid “has improved significantly” compared to last year.
On the other hand, the health authorities specify that “current supply tensions for clarithromycin linked to the context of the whooping cough epidemic” were recorded. Thus, the laboratories concerned were asked to “favor the supply of pharmacies by wholesale distributors in order to ensure equitable distribution of available boxes”.
Concerning other medicines, coverage of needs is “to date generally assured”.
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