Health. In recent weeks, many pharmacies in mainland France have encountered difficulties in renewing their stocks of Doliprane on two references, the 1000 mg capsules and the Liquiz Children. According to the manufacturer, these tensions are due to the explosion in demand due to cross-epidemics of Covid-19 and common winter infections, which cause headaches, fever and body aches. And this despite a 50% increase in production from the spring of 2020. In recent weeks, the high contagiousness of the Omicron variant, added to the influenza and gastroenteritis epidemic, has exerted strong pressure on stocks, constraining the laboratory to set up a ”rationing” of orders, “limited to a maximum of 720 units per pharmacy“, according to the Sanofi laboratory.
This shortage is not worrying in itself, the active ingredient (paracetamol imported from China and India, editor’s note) not being out of stock. It is simply the production rates that do not keep up with the surge in demand.
If the laboratory hopes for a return to normal by June 2022, for the moment, Reunion is not yet affected by these tensions on stocks. “We have not received any warnings from wholesalers-distributorssays Nicolas Molinier, pharmacist at the Port. In Reunion, stocks are organized to ensure two months of reserve at wholesaler-distributors and pharmacy groups can also order directly. For now, there is no need to worry.” Same echo collected from Claude Marodon, pharmacist in Saint-Denis: “Between Covid and the flu, there was indeed a strong demand, especially for Doliprane 1000 mg. But this is not worrying, because the 500 mg is in stock and there are also other references for paracetamol, such as Dafalgan, Efferalgan and generics”. Nothing to worry about, indeed.