Trisomy 21: screening for the disease in pregnant women experiencing supply problems

This is a logistical problem, the consequences of which can be very specific. Medical tests used to detect Down syndrome in pregnant women are currently experiencing supply difficulties, the medicines agency warned on Wednesday, assuring it was doing everything possible to reduce the “potential impact”. According to a press release from the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM): “These devices are currently under global supply pressure due to a disruption in the supply of one of their components. »

These are tests sold by the Finnish group PerkinElmer and aimed at identifying the risk of Down syndrome in a fetus in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. According to ANSM, PerkinElmer has assured that these supply difficulties will not have any specific impact, with the group saying it will be able to “meet global needs” until a “return to normalcy” expected in 2024.

Search for alternatives

“We are monitoring the situation as closely as possible to reduce its potential impact,” says the ANSM, which does not specify what proportion these devices make up in the context of Down syndrome screening in France.

But the medicines agency says it is looking at “alternatives” to ensure access to the screening, one of the most common among pregnant women. “We have reached out to the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Biomedicine Agency to share information and possible solutions,” she concludes. The announcement comes in the context of drug shortages affecting more and more drugs in France and around the world.