538 million is approximately the number of boxes of paracetamol delivered to French pharmacies in 2023. It is the best-selling drug by volume in the country. Since the Covid-19 crisis and the recurrence of supply tensions, paracetamol has become the symbol of the decline of French health sovereignty. Since then, the state has been working for the rebirth of tricolor paracetamol and wishes to make it an example of French reindustrialization in the field of health.
However, is a short circuit 100% made in France possible? My answer is yes but its viability will depend on the ability of the actors to find a balance over time between strategic autonomy, sustainability and profitability. Let me explain.
For several months now, a public-private cooperative model that I describe as responsible sovereignty has made it possible to build a 100% French paracetamol value chain which will meet almost half of European consumption. In practice, risks and ambitions are shared between industry and the government. Concretely, the manufacturers Seqens and Ipsophene, which are the producers of the active ingredient of paracetamol, benefit from public financial support for the construction of new production units. This is around 40 million euros in aid for Sequens out of the 120 million needed to adapt its site in Roussillon in Isère. The construction of the Ipsophene factory in Toulouse benefits from a subsidy of 4.2 million from the Occitanie region, or 15% of the total cost.
Regarding UPSA and Sanofi, which market and manufacture finished paracetamol in their respective factories in Agen and Lisieux, it is in return for a moratorium on the reduction in the price of paracetamol that the two laboratories have able to make long-term purchase volume commitments for the active ingredient, UPSA having even contributed to the financing of the Seqens production chain.
Finally, let us point out that all factories will use innovative, less polluting and less energy-consuming manufacturing processes. A very largely reduced environmental footprint serving the protection of the environment, and the health of local residents of course, but also which will reduce production costs.
However, the profitability of the model in the long term is not guaranteed, since on average, producing in France is twice as expensive as producing in emerging countries. Freezing the reduction in the price of paracetamol will undoubtedly not be enough and an increase in the latter appears more than necessary. If we want paracetamol 100% made in France in the long term; a short circuit which creates jobs and which allows ecological production of paracetamol, then France and Europe must be ready to pay a little more for this product which is essential to the lives of citizens.
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