A Europe-wide initiative to protect patients and public health from falsified or fake medical devices and medicines went live on Saturday 9 February 2019, making the medicines supply chain across Europe safer than ever before.
The new technology means that from the moment a medicine comes off the production line to the point it reaches a patient, every person and organisation it has touched can verify and authenticate the pack: from pharmaceutical manufacturers to wholesalers to pharmacies to GP surgeries and hospitals.
However, in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit, the UK will drop out of the new system, leaving NHS patients more exposed to the dangers of fake medicines than other patients in the EU.
The UK has contributed to the development of the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) – the EU regulation that makes this plan possible – and pharmaceutical companies, along with partners, have led the way in funding and setting up the system in the UK over the past two years.
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