Baptiste Morin, edited by Gauthier Delomez 06:17, January 05, 2023

Difficulties in supplying pharmacies with paracetamol raise the question of French production.

During the Covid-19 crisis, in 2020, Emmanuel Macron had promised to relaunch it.

If a factory will soon see the light of day in Isère, France is still very dependent on China.

During the health crisis, Emmanuel Macron made a commitment to quickly relaunch the production of paracetamol in France.

However, due to the Covid and flu epidemics, and especially the epidemic wave in China, lately, it is more difficult to find it in our pharmacies.

In the future, some drugs could run out in France.

This is why the question of French production arises.

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The molecule mainly comes from three countries

Two years after the president's promise, Sanofi produces Doliprane in France, and Upsa manufactures Dafalgan and Efferalgan in France as well.

But the two groups produce these drugs after obtaining the active ingredient upstream, that is to say the molecule of paracetamol.

Until 2008, Rhodia manufactured it in France.

Now, this molecule comes mainly from three countries: the United States, India, and especially China.

It is in particular a French company which produces paracetamol in China, the Seqens group, whose head office is located near Lyon.

Seqens supplies a third of the world market and a quarter of the European market.

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On the relocation side, a project exists, and it is precisely piloted by Seqens.

The factory should be built in Isère and produce 10,000 tonnes of paracetamol each year.

Announced for 2023, the factory should not open until the end of 2024 and the first deliveries are not expected before the end of 2025, or even the beginning of 2026.