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Medecine

Eight common cold and cough medicines to be pulled from open sale in France

These drugs containing the vasoconstrictor pseudoephedrine are banned from over-the-counter sale from December 11 due to the increased risk of complications

Health alert in France over common cold medicines

It is not worth ‘risking a stroke for a blocked nose’, the head of the medicines safety agency has said

Medicine shortage: antibiotic stocks in France may be low until spring

Supply problems with amoxicillin and paracetamol have highlighted reliance on chemicals from China and India

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French Doctolib platform accused of ‘promoting alternative medicine’

The medical appointment booking website has been criticised for offering sessions with naturopaths and other non-recognised practitioners - some have now been removed

Herbalists want new French government to lift 80 year ban on practice

Pharmacists in France continue to block the legal recognition of ‘herboristes’ who use plants for healing

Why are ‘medicines to avoid’ allowed to stay in circulation in France?

French medical review Prescrire has published its tenth annual list of medicines that should be avoided - 89 of which are still available

Medical cannabis trials in France show promise

Medicine produced from cannabis oils can improve patients’ quality of life, but how the country will make legal cannabis farms financially viable remains uncertain

Cancer in France: 75% of patients affected by medicine shortages

Leading professor says medical labs that stop making drugs because they are not profitable should be fined – but new European research has some encouraging news on some cancers

France makes contraception pills and IUDs free for under 25s

Health Minister Olivier Véran said that it is ‘unacceptable that women would give up contraception because of price’

40,000 women in France have potentially faulty contraceptive coils

The affected coils have reduced contraceptive benefits and could lead to unwanted pregnancy. They do not pose an urgent health risk but should be removed

Positive signs for Nantes lab's Covid-19 treatment

The antibody treatment aims to stop patients with Covid-19 becoming seriously ill. Its producers say clinical trials could have started much earlier but the government prioritised vaccine development over treatments

Covid-19 at-home urine test banned in France

Authorities say there is no proof the test works and all Covid tests should be taken in pharmacies or laboratories

New Covid vaccine being assessed for EU distribution

Johnson & Johnson has submitted a demand for EU approval for its Covid-19 vaccine - if granted, the jab could be in use by April

Final preparations underway for Covid vaccination in France

The first Covid vaccinations in France are scheduled to start this Sunday in elderly care homes, but there are still some steps before it can happen

Covid-19 in France: What we know (and do not) so far

Clinical trials and scientific studies on the origin, spread and nature of Covid-19 are continuing, as the global Discovery project continues from Lyon (‎Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). We summarise what we know so far.

Antibiotics prescribed less but still over-used

Use of antibiotics is reducing – but France remains the third largest European user in terms of population size after Greece and Cyprus.

Beware buying medicine online

Patients are risking their health by ordering medicines from foreign-based websites, experts have warned.

Virtual surgeries in France

An answer to GP shortage or an online step too far?

French tech repairs Mick Jagger’s heart

Simple heart valve replacement surgery invented in France has got Mick Jagger back on his feet.

Mother donates womb to daughter

A woman who underwent France’s first uterine transplant can now have children – out of the uterus in which she grew as a foetus

Chemists may offer simple medicines without a doctor

Chemists may be allowed to deliver some medicines without a doctor’s prescription.

Pasteur, France’s first media scientist

Louis Pasteur worked hard to secure his legacy, while saving millions, writes Samantha David

Online medical records relaunch on phone app

An online medical records system which has had a low take-up has been relaunched with a phone app in the hope that 40 million patients will be using it in five years’ time.

Spiritual site where solace meets commercial forces

All this year, Lourdes is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin Mary in a small grotto. Samantha David pays a visit to France’s wildly popular holy location

Video GP sessions to be launched in France

Telemedicine consultations are now reimbursed

French surgeon warns on rugby head injuries

A neuro-surgeon has warned that rugby has to take “drastic” action to reduce head injuries after the deaths of two players in France.

French Homeopaths' union sues doctors

More than 120 doctors have been sued by a homeopaths’ union after signing a letter to a newspaper calling for homeopathy costs not to be reimbursed as it and other alternative care were ‘esoteric disciplines’ and ‘fed by charlatans’.

Artificial heart man’s transplant

A man who was kept alive after being fitted with a Carmat artificial heart has had it removed and a heart transplant put in its place.

Homeopathy is not backed by science

Homeopathic remedies have been branded “scientifically implausible” by the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council with “no evidence they are effective for any known diseases, even if there is sometimes a placebo effect”.

Some cough sweets will need prescription

Over-the-counter cough and pain relief remedies will now be prescription-only if they contain drugs derived from opium, such as codeine.

Medecine

Eight common cold and cough medicines to be pulled from open sale in France

Health alert in France over common cold medicines

Medicine shortage: antibiotic stocks in France may be low until spring

French Doctolib platform accused of ‘promoting alternative medicine’

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