The issue of parallel exports of medicinal products and the main causes of drug shortages, together with access to innovative medicines, are the main topics of the conference organised today by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. "We would like to address the main problems related to the lack of medicines arising from the main chairing events on this subject. We consider it beneficial to share our know-how in relation to the recently adopted amendment to the drug law, which will enter into force in early 2017," said General Director of the Department of Pharmacy and Drug Policy of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic Matej Petrovič.
The conference is attended by the general directors of the pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical policy sections from EU countries, candidate countries and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, together with the directors of the pharmaceutical agencies and other prominent representatives of national pharmaceutical agencies and associations in Europe. Among the guests of the conference are several important speakers, such as doc. PharmDr. Ján Klimas, PhD., MPH from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Mgr. Tomáš Turiak from the Slovak Medical Chamber, Directors of the Slovak and Czech State Institute for Drug Control, Agnès Mathieu-Mendes from the European Commission, Brendan Cuddy from the European Medicines Agency and many others.
The conference program is built on three panels. The first panel focuses on the topic medicines are not ordinary goods/parallel exports of medicines. The second panel covers the issue Lack of medicines on issues of good manufacturing practice. The third panel covers a highly topical issue the availability of innovative medicines.
There are several reasons - from the low prices of medicines and subsequent parallel exports to the unavailability of active substances. Individual Member States can succeed in this area through timely and operational exchange of information and regular monitoring. Cooperation in this area must be a priority in order to ensure quality, safe and affordable treatment for our patients. There is also a need to define a common approach among EU Member States to join forces in one strong market and to move forward.
