May 2011

EAASM stages an important conference on the Falsified Medicines Directive – a new piece of EU law that will help stop counterfeiters of medicines in their tracks

The EAASM held a major one-day conference on May 4th 2011 in London. Entitled “Counter-Punching the Counterfeiter”, it brought together interested parties from throughout the supply chain. The programme enabled a common understanding to be developed on how the FMD will affect medicines supply “from maker to taker” and how all concerned can work together in the interests of patient safety. A highlight was a short introductory video to endorse and start the conference off by Marisa Matias, who is the MEP championing the FMD. The video will shortly be available on www.eaasm.eu.

One crucial aspect of the FMD is that each pack of medicine will have a unique identifying code that can be authenticated at pharmacy level. This unique code will be linked to a common database and will verify if that medicine has actually come from a genuine manufacturer of medicines. In addition, the special feature carrying the code can hold other information that would enable healthcarers and patients to access useful information on their medication and condition. Over 60 delegates from all over Europe attended and all of the EAASM objectives were fully met.