Making Patient Safety a Priority
At a recent meeting hosted by MEP Jorgo Chatzamarkakis in the European Parliament, representatives from the research and generics industries, GIRP, Pharmacist Associations and MEPs and the new Rapporteur, Marisa Matius, discussed workable approaches to the European Commission's proposed anti-counterfeiting directive.
From the discussions at the meeting, it was apparent that the European Commission has sketched out a viable framework for a co-ordinated approach to keep counterfeit medicines out of the EU supply chain. All the same, there are a number of crucial details left to fill in, and these are likely to be the subject of vigorous debate among stakeholders as the proposed directive transitions through the European Parliament to the Council.
One challenge will be to make sure this debate does not lose its focus on the safety of the end-user. Not only is it patients who ultimately pay the cost of counterfeiting through potentially serious damage to their health, but that damage has ramifications for the reputation, liability, business strategies and revenues of all stakeholders.