Question 36212 — pharmacy and medications

Summary

Ms. Frédérique Dumas draws the attention of the Minister of Solidarity and Health to the possibility of a global shortage of consumables used by laboratories, particularly in the context of screening, antibody research and sequencing processes linked to the covid-19 epidemic. As of January 9, 2021, we knew that the British variant represented 3% of contaminations, that the dynamics of its epidemic curve had begun and that its progression was inevitable. As of Monday, January 25, 2021, we knew that in Paris, the share of the variant had increased to nearly 15%, a week ahead of the modeling projections carried out at the beginning of January 2021. We also knew that the South African variant was already established at 1% of contamination. The Brazilian variant represents a threat linked to the porosity of the border between Guyana and Brazil and the different variants are set to mutate. This therefore makes molecular biology, in particular sequencing which makes it possible to identify the different variants, absolutely essential. However, we will probably have to face a global shortage of consumables used by laboratories. En France les remontées d'informations sont alarmantes. There is already tension over the supply of pipette tips (“cones”). ), in tubes and plates for molecular biology and, more generally, on small laboratory equipment, essential for carrying out PCR tests, determining serology or carrying out sequencing. Some laboratories and hospitals had no more stocks as of January 26, 2021, others only had ten days or a few weeks at best. Faced with this shortage, virology services are forced to to abandon the sequencing of the English variant which is now circulating at the level of the epidemiological curves as they had been modeled. This shortage actually affects all medical analysis laboratories as well as research teams forced to cease certain activities. The observation of an upcoming shortage of supplies is therefore there and the entire biological diagnosis will be affected. She him therefore asks whether despite its declarations dated January 26, 2021, according to which "for a year, surveys have been carried out in real time with all private and public laboratories to ensure that there are no shortages of consumables or reagents" and according to which "until now we have always held, there is no reason for this to change", if despite the objective and now documented elements on the subject, it was well able to affirm on January 26, 2021 that there was no tension, that there existed on that date and to date no decision from his ministry to prioritize a certain type of research, therefore to lead to slowing down others or stopping them, that there was indeed anticipation and control of the situation from that date. To be more precise, could the Government on this date and can it to date give guarantees to the fact that research in general will not be affected by the tensions that exist and particularly molecular biology, testing capacity, the search for antibodies and the search for variants and its mutants, and that, if there is prioritization, the whole of medical biology, including in areas other than the health crisis, will not be impacted either? Finally, did the Government anticipate before January 26, 2021 a reorientation of the French plastics sectors towards the production of this type of material, in order to counter the possibility of a global shortage and a shortage of stocks? She asks him to please respond to all of these points.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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