Coulomb-Baumelou OTC proposals in France

France's Ministry of Health is considering proposals put forward for the reform of the over-the-counter drug market by an advisory committee it formed last year. While maintaining the pharmacy retail monopoly is considered unshakable, the general direction of reform seems to be towards more personal freedom and responsibility in terms of "automedication," a position that is welcomed by French drugmakers.

The report on self-medication was prepared by Alain Coulomb, the director of the High Authority for Health (HAS) and Alain Baumelou, the chairman of the French Health Products Safety Agency's (Afssaps) working party on self-medication, at the request of Health Minister Xavier Bertrand. The background to the study was the realization that France's OTC market had not progressed since 2001 and that other European Union members, including Germany, the UK and even the new accession state Poland, have higher expenditures for OTC drugs than France, despite a highly-developed pharmacy sector.

"A report that finally launches the debate!"