European politicians are criticising the EU’s decision not to legislate against online pharmacies claiming that is a huge omission in the plans to combat counterfeit medicines. German MEP Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, said that the online trade in fake medicines is a growing illegal business that needs to be addressed.
The EU ‘pharma package’ of legislation unveiled in December 2008 in Brussels focussed on three priority areas including protecting the European market from counterfeit medicines, improving pharmacovigilance to reduce the adverse effects of medicine and improving information for patients on prescription medicines.
The World Health Organisation say that 80% of counterfeit medicines come from the Internet but the directive failed to mention how to combat the sale of counterfeit drugs online.
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