This makes dealing with the particularly intense winter epidemic situation involving three diseases (influenza, bronchitis and coronavirus) practically impossible.

Paediatric medicines are the most affected by supply shortages in France

Due to the huge shortage of paediatric medicines, especially amoxicillin and paracetamol, pharmacies are no longer able to fully supply the population in France. In many cases, this causes very serious tensions among customers, who direct their frustration and concern at the pharmacists.

The tension is due to the fact that without the proper medicines, people are unable to cope with this year’s particularly intense winter epidemic situation. Medicine stocks are running out right when the three most serious winter diseases are sweeping through the population at the same time. The flu, bronchitis and the coronavirus are spreading more intensively and on a broader scale than previously.

The issue is not a sudden development, but the shortage of pharmaceuticals has now reached a critical level. Back on 6 December, Government Spokesman Olivier Veran drew attention to the problem, saying that warehouse stocks may decrease to dangerously low levels, and replenishing them had been fraught with difficulties in the preceding months. To make matters worse,

demand had almost doubled compared to the same time last year,

which was also contributing to the problem,

the government spokesman said at the time. Experts claim that the increased demand may also mean that viruses and pathogens will become increasingly resistant to the current medicines. The data on antibiotics supply show that more than seventy per cent of pharmacies are experiencing serious shortages, with paediatric amoxicillin being in especially short supply.

Germany is also en route to a crisis

Germany is facing a similar problem. Whether it’s antipyretics for children, cough suppressants, antihypertensives, or breast cancer medicines, people often encounter problems in pharmacies. Many products are unavailable and will not even be shipped to warehouses for weeks.

„The situation is terrible,” says Thomas Preis, president of the North Rhine Pharmacists’ Association. In more than 30 years in the business, he has never experienced anything like this, he said.

Mr Preis also gave a concrete example of why, among other things, it is a problem for people to switch to another medicine. Pantoprazole, which is used to treat stomach problems, is no longer available, so it has to be replaced with Omeprazol. However, this substance has various interactions with other medicines. Mr Preis is also concerned about the coming year, and believes that the bottlenecks will not be resolved.

According to a survey by the German Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, 18 per cent of Germans have experienced difficulties purchasing their medicines or found that their medicines were out of stock. Medicine shortages are an inconvenience for pharmacies also because they have to find alternatives, or produce a part of them themselves – which is time-consuming and costly. According to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), more than three hundred medicines are currently unavailable, including antibiotics, antipyretics and heart attack medications. Medicines important for radiological screenings are also affected with the problem.

A study by the VfA pharmaceutical industry association reveals that around 68 per cent of the production sites for active substances destined for Europe are located in Asia, because European countries can purchase the various active substances at a lower price from there. „It is no secret that Germany and the EU as a whole are too dependent on China or even India for medicines,” Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. He believes that the federal government must „finally take sustainable action” to combat drug dependence on China. There is an urgent need to promote EU production and to further strengthen Germany as a pharmaceutical location,” he said. „If, for example, antibiotics are produced almost exclusively in countries with lower production standards, this will promote the development of antibiotic resistance, making them less and less effective against infections.”

Early next year, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs intend to present a joint proposal to improve the situation.