Drugs will be provided with a special code to exclude forgery

From February 9, all drugs sold in Poland on prescription must be provided with a special code. Pharmacies should have equipment that can read them and check the authenticity in the system.

A European Union counterfeit directive is a good solution. At least in assumptions. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) wants to throw away false medicines from the market. According to the International Health Organization (WHO), even 1 percent. medicines sold in developed countries can be counterfeit. In turn, as many as half of the medicines sold via the Internet are faked.

Hence the idea of ​​affixing these real drugs with the appropriate code, read later in the pharmacy with a 2D reader. The pharmacist, after scanning the code and connecting to the appropriate system, after a few seconds will find out if this is the original medicine.

You have to prepare for new regulations.

Logical assumption. Just like the system will only be effective if it is based on a decent verification system that will include all pharmacies in the country.

In our country, KOWAL - the National Organization for Verifying the Authenticity of Medicines is responsible for the system of a counterfeit directive. Founded by the Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers, the Employers Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies INFARMA, the Association of Parallel Medicinal Importers and the Supreme Pharmaceutical Chamber. Therefore, one could have a conviction bordering on the certainty that institutions familiar with their tasks will be able to adapt Polish pharmacies to the EU directive. Unfortunately.

The fake directive in Poland will trigger a pharmacy crisis?

Just before the new regulation on the sale of prescription drugs comes into force, five organizations are warning about the upcoming troubles. Mainly on the patients side. Therefore, the Business Center Club, Lewiatan Confederation, Employers of the Republic of Poland, PharmaNET Pharmaceutical Employers' Association and the Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers, appeal to the Minister of Health and the Main Pharmaceutical Inspector for the fastest possible actions to avoid chaos. The crisis of pharmacy is different for us.

Such a solution, in the opinion of the Supreme Pharmaceutical Council , for example , would be the introduction of a transitional period for the validity of new regulations. At that time, the decision to release the drug would be at the discretion of pharmacy professionals. But there is nothing to count on it. Appeal recipients are silent for now. It is worth recalling that the fake directive really came into force as early as 9 February 2016. For most EU countries, a three-year transitional period was introduced. This is what ends.

There was an appropriate time, so what's the problem?

The EU directive is to apply to medications already produced after the border date - February 9, 2019. But not all drug manufacturers wanted to wait for changes until the very end. Some of the special codes also provided drugs previously created. The problem is that the system introduced for this in the EU will only recognize 2D codes generated after this date. The rest he considers to be false.

So, in a moment, it may happen that the client will leave the pharmacy window with nothing. Although the remedy he is prescribed for is absolutely not false. But his producer hastened a bit and now the system of this medicine does not want to pass. Apothecaries will certainly blow cold. After all, according to the regulations for issuing a false drug, financial penalties can be imposed.

The introduction of provisions in the presented form may have far-reaching consequences for many pharmacies, including their bankruptcy - confirms Elżbieta Piotrowska-Rutkowska, the president of NRA.

Pharmacies did what they could, it KOWAL collapsed?

According to the organizations applying to the Minister of Health for prompt actions in this respect, Polish pharmacies have done a lot to prepare for the fake directive. They bought 2D barcode readers and trained professionals. Unfortunately, according to the signatories of the appeal, KOWAL did not stand at the height of the task.

According to the information we have - even 30 percent. pharmacies in Poland, despite the sincere desire, still has not gained access to a platform that allows the verification and withdrawal of potentially falsified products from the pharmacy - we read in a message sent to the media.

But it also happened that the pharmacies mistakenly transmitted incorrect data or simply did not require an IT system. As a result, not all pharmacies in Poland can cope with the verification of medicines issued.

It is not known what to do when the reader discovers a fake.

The fake directive may give rise to other problems. Well, in a situation where the system will not read the code generated before the deadline of February 9, 2019, and thus will recognize the medicine as a fake one - what should the pharmacist himself do? After all, spend the drug and expose yourself to punishment? Put away on the shelf, somehow specifically mark or just hand over the warehouse? In this respect, as the apothecaries argue, too, there is a lack of appropriate legal solutions.

Drugs will be provided with a special code to exclude forgery