08/02/2019 (Agence Europe) – The last piece of the European system against falsified medicinal products is laid. From Saturday 9 February, the outer packaging of prescription medicines will have to include a unique identifier and an anti-break-in device, while pharmacies, including online pharmacies, and hospitals will have to check the authenticity of medicines before dispensing them to patients. These obligations are provided for under the Falsified Medicinal Products Directive 2011/62/EU, products for which the European Commission received 400 notifications between 2013 and 2017. “Approaching the European elections, here is another example of the added value of cooperation in the EU", said Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, adding that the new system would be monitored in the coming weeks and months to ensure that it is working properly. (SPj)