Fever, pain… Doliprane appears, for many French people, to be the all-purpose medicine. By far, the brand has become a favorite of the French. Professionals in the pharmaceutical field give us some answers on this quasi-monopoly.
When talking about medicine in the streets of Chartres, the answer is clear: regardless of age, Doliprane is the first that comes to mind for all types of ailments.
Eight people interviewed went so far as to indicate that in the event of the drug disappearing, reserves of these precious yellow and blue boxes would be stocked. There should also be plenty to do: in France, in 2022, some 424 million boxes will have been manufactured and delivered. A record.
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But how did this drug, produced by Sanofi, become such an institution?
A molecule very tolerated by patients
For Damien, pharmaceutical representative in a laboratory who operates in Chartres, the first reason comes from its composition. “It’s already a prescription market,” he says, simply by the drug molecule, paracetamol.
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Franck, a technician at the Grand Faubourg pharmacy, indicates that “paracematol is always what is given priority: it is the molecule which has the fewest adverse effects”. It is therefore used and recommended as first intention, because it is very well supported by the majority. However, Doliprane does not have exclusivity on the molecule with its many qualities.
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For Franck, affiliated with a laboratory whose name will not be specified, this real “base” that Doliprane has in France comes from a well-established marketing strategy.
A usual question
For the intermediary between the laboratories and the pharmacies, the brand’s notoriety was first built on door-to-door sales: “they visited doctors a lot”. Many doctors, who then prescribed this brand- there, as a priority, thus creating a habit both within the firms, and among clients, who become accustomed to it.
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“Even when pharmacists suggest changing it, patients, attached to the brand, ask for Doliprane instead,” continues Damien. Adding to this “the mistrust on the part of certain patients regarding medications”, Doliprane was able to establish itself as the safe bet for patients.
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A passerby interviewed considers that “if the doctor recommends Doliprane, it’s because it’s what works best!”. Even if ultimately, its numerous competitors whose name is not recognized, are composed of the same molecule.
We do not have the right to substitute the drug Doliprane
Jean-François Thomazeau, head pharmacist at the town hall pharmacy, adds yet another parameter which continues to nail “Doliprane is not in the generic repertoire” indicates Jean-François Thomazeau, pharmacist in charge of the town hall pharmacy. So, “we do not have the right to substitute it”, unlike another brand of the same molecule.
The two pharmaceutical professionals add that “on the French market, sales of Doliprane peak at nearly 70%”.
Eloise Pinto
