Commentary - Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2021) Volume 11, Issue 74

Implementation of the Falsified Medicines Directive in the secondary care environment - experiences and recommendations from European hospitals

The World Health Organisation estimates that up to 50% of medicinal products in the world are counterfeit. Counterfeit drugs pose a huge threat to human health and life. Although the number of counterfeit drugs in Europe is much lower than in developing countries, the European Union has developed a directive that prevents the trade in falsified drugs. Despite the provisions of the directive are relatively easy to implement in community pharmacies, they may create difficulties in implementation in hospitals. Our article, based on experience in European hospitals, shows the most effective methods of verification and authentication of drugs. These activities minimize the risk of using drugs of unknown origin in hospitals Author(s): Piotr Merks, Urszula Religioni

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