France to test digital medicine leaflets from October
Nearly 600 medicines are included in the trial
The trial will be carried out in both local pharmacies and hospitals.
Slladkaya/Shutterstock
Nearly 600 medicines are to carry digital leaflets accessible via QR codes under a two year pilot scheme starting from October 1, affecting both pharmacies and hospitals.
The initiative, introduced by the Agence nationale de s茅curit茅 du m茅dicament et des produits de sant茅 (ANSM) and the D茅l茅gation du num茅rique en sant茅 (DNS), aims to 鈥渕odernise the care pathway, secure prescriptions, improve access to medical information and reduce the environmental impact of mass paper printing鈥�.
Two test settings
The trial will be carried out in both local pharmacies and hospitals.
In pharmacies: about 170 medicines are involved.
These include widely prescribed products such as paracetamol for adults, statins for cardiovascular prevention, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for digestive disorders and reflux, and several vaccines.
Each box will carry a QR code linking to the digital leaflet on the Base de Donn茅es Publique des M茅dicaments (BDPM). The paper version will remain available during the test.
In hospitals: around 420 medicines have been selected.
They span major therapeutic classes, including anticancer drugs, gene and cell therapies, antibiotics and antivirals, treatments for rare or chronic conditions, blood products, radiopharmaceuticals, medical gases, and hospital generics.
In this setting, the paper notice will be withdrawn, since it is 鈥渃onsidered unnecessary in routine hospital pharmacy practice and a significant source of waste,鈥� according to ANSM. Instead, digital access will be provided through the BDPM and hospital prescription software.
How medicines were chosen
ANSM launched a call for applications at the end of 2024 for pharmaceutical companies wishing to participate.
Proposals were assessed against technical specifications for either hospital or retail distribution.
The medicines retained for the pilot reflect both high-frequency use in the general population and critical therapeutic needs in hospitals.
National rollout
If the pilot is successful, the system could be extended in scope.
The DNS underlines that digital notices would make updates faster and allow 鈥渕ore readable and interactive fact sheets,鈥� while at the same time cutting the environmental footprint of printed leaflets.
The lists of medicines selected for pharmacies and hospitals are available on the ANSM website, .
