The French government on Wednesday banned the online sale of paracetamol until the end of January due to ongoing problems with the supply of the widely used painkiller, AFP reported.

“The online sale of products containing only paracetamol is suspended until January 31, 2023,” the government decree published in the Official Gazette said.

The decision states that “problems with paracetamol-based medicines have been going on for more than six months”, in particular, this applies to products intended for children.

“Various measures taken by the health authorities, no matter how effective they are, have not yet been able to put an end to this situation,” the cited source adds.

The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines has been asking French pharmacists to rationalize the sale of paracetamol for several months. In December, the French Ministry of Health already warned that, despite these measures, the situation remains “difficult” and will not be resolved for several weeks.

The French government, in its executive order, highlighted the worsening health situation in China, where the number of COVID cases is rising sharply after the sudden lifting of restrictions. The Chinese government has banned the export of paracetamol, even though the country produces most of the active ingredient used by laboratories around the world.

These supply difficulties are part of a wider context of shortages of many medicines in France and elsewhere, starting with antibiotics such as amoxicillin.

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