France bans the online sale of paracetamol

By Cristiano Antonino On Jan 4, 2023

The decision stems from last summer, when paracetamol began to become scarce in the transalpine country

In France, the government has banned the online sale of paracetamol products amid persistent supply difficulties for the commonly used painkiller

This is what we read in the main local media, which point out that the measure is in force as of today and will remain valid until next 31 January.

The decision stems from last summer, when paracetamol began to become scarce in the transalpine country.

The difficulty of supply is also exacerbated by the fact that France does not produce the molecule

On the other hand, there are those who argue that this situation can be traced back to the latest Covid-19 outbreak in China, which could limit the global stock of available drugs.

The Beijing government has in fact requisitioned certain drugs precisely to cope with the explosion of infections.

A choice that would have penalised France itself.

Not only that.

With the appearance of Covid and other winter viruses, the consumption of paracetamol increases because it is often the only drug prescribed

So as not to aggravate the shortage, Paris decided to resort to rather strict measures.

In particular, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines has asked doctors to prescribe paracetamol only to patients in immediate need and pharmacies to limit sales to two packs per person.

A more complicated matter, however, with regard to children. The president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France, Philippe Besset, explained that ‘some pharmacies no longer carry the drug in paediatric doses, either in syrup or suppository form’.