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The European pharmaceuticals industry has welcomed a report calling for a ban on the repackaging and re-labelling of medicines.

The European Commission's Safe Medicines Through Parellel Trade report concluded that the repackaging of medicines created an "inherent risk to the safety of patients".

Europe Economics, which authored the report, also said that there was also the risk of confusing patients if "packages were changed in the course of treatment".

The report concluded: "Based on an assessment of social, economic and environmental impacts, the clearly preferable option would be to legislate to prohibit repackaging and re-labelling, and to ensure that the original pack reaches the patient."

The European Federation of Phamaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) supports the idea that maintaining the integrity of a pack was "the key to ensuring security of the supply chain".

Jean-François Dehecq, EFPIA vice-president, said: "For too long we have underestimated the phenomenon of counterfeit medicines and their threat to patients.

"We need a three-pronged approach that will improve the efficiency of international police enquiries, establish adequate civil and penal sanctions and effectively monitor those distribution channels that facilitate the entry of counterfeit medicines," he said.

The report by Europe Economics was completed in May and is available by clicking here.