Emmanuel Macron expected Tuesday in Ardèche on the relocation of drugs

Europe1 .fr with AFP / Photo credit: Ludovic MARIN / AFP 17:22 pm, June 10, 2023

President Emmanuel Macron will make announcements Tuesday during a trip to the Ardèche on the relocation of drug production, the first of a series of meetings during a week on strengthening the industrial and technological sovereignty of the France, announced Saturday the Elysee. "The France suffers from significant deindustrialization that results in strong dependencies," said a presidential adviser, recalling shortages of paracetamol or semiconductors during the Covid-19 crisis.

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Several announcements expected

It depends 60 to 80% on abroad, especially China, for the production of so-called mature drugs (antibiotics, anesthesia products, etc.), a threshold that rises to 95% for biomedicines. It must therefore "strengthen its sovereignty" by reindustrializing and innovating, all in a context of strong international competition aggravated by climate issues, notes the presidency. The head of state will visit on Tuesday one of the three sites of the family pharmaceutical laboratory Aguettant, in Champagne (Ardèche), and will deliver a speech on the prospects for health sovereignty.

This more than century-old group manufactures injectable drugs, especially for anesthesia-resuscitation, some of which have experienced supply difficulties during the Covid crisis. Emmanuel Macron will also visit Chamatex, another company based in the Ardèche, in Ardoix, which holds the dragee high to Asian competition in the sneaker segment.

On Wednesday, the president will make a "number of announcements" at the VivaTech show in Paris, one of the world's major technology events, dedicated this year to artificial intelligence. At the end of the week and at the beginning of the next, he will focus on decarbonisation in the aviation sector, particularly biofuels, at the Paris Air Show. Emmanuel Macron also intends to continue his communication offensive launched in May on the theme of reindustrialization, after the pension crisis.

The France, like other European countries, is experiencing tensions over stocks of several medicines, especially for children, some of which are in common use. The president's announcements are eagerly awaited by health sector players as a list of priority drugs, some likely to be relocated to France, was initially to be published at the end of May.

They take place in a critical context for the health system, faced with an unprecedented wave of innovation, an aging population, a very complex financing scheme and prices deemed too low by manufacturers on mature drugs.