Her government France banned online sales of paracetamol-based products today and until the end of January.

“The online sale of products consisting solely of paracetamol is suspended until January 31, 2023,” the French government said in a decree.

This decision was made in connection with “more than six months of problems with drugs based on paracetamol”, mainly intended for children.

“Various measures taken by the health authorities, no matter how effective, have not yet solved the problems,” the government acknowledged.

For several months now, the National Office for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) has been asking French pharmacies to give each patient a certain amount of paracetamol.

In December, France’s health ministry warned that despite these measures, the situation remains “difficult” and will not be resolved for several weeks.

In its decree, the French government highlighted the deteriorating health situation in China, where the number of coronavirus cases has skyrocketed following the sudden lifting of health restrictions.

The Chinese government banned the export of paracetamol, which was exported in large quantities to pharmaceutical companies around the world.

Problems with paracetamol are part of a wider context of shortages of various drugs such as amoxicillin in France and other countries.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP.