New safety features to protect EU citizens from falsified medicines

Safety for medicines will be further reinforced with the introduction of new obligatory features like a unique identifier and an anti-tampering device, according to an announcement this morning from the European Commission.

Such safety features will protect European citizens against the health threat of falsified medicines, which may contain ingredients, including active ingredients of low quality or in the wrong dosage. The safety features will guarantee medicine authenticity for the benefit of patients and businesses, and will strengthen the security of the medicine supply chain - from manufacturers to distributors to pharmacies and hospitals.

The act in question, published today in the Official Journal, supplements the Falsified Medicines Directive (2011/62/EU), which aims to prevent falsified medicines to reach patients, to allow European Union citizens to buy medicines online through verified sources, and to ensure that only high quality ingredients are used for medicines in the EU. The delegated Regulation will enter into force three years after publication.