The Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) came into effect on 9th February 2019 and has been EU law for over 12 months.
The GPhC has issued a statement suggesting they will be ‘taking action’ if pharmacies are showing no evidence of compliance during their inspections. Although there are over 12,000 pharmacies that have registered with the UK Verification System (Securemed), it has been highlighted that there is still a significant difference between those who have registered and those who are actively using the system.
The future of FMD in the UK looked uncertain following Brexit, however, it has now been confirmed that the directive will remain in place during the transition period. The GPhC intend to work with the MHRA to consider if ‘enforcement action’ should be taken against those pharmacies not using the FMD equipment.