How to deal with FMD law in your pharmacy?

FMD or Falsified Medicines Directive

FMD is an EU legislation designed to prevent falsified or counterfeit medicines from entering the legal supply chain. The directive came into effect in 2019 and applies to all EU member states.

Under the FMD, pharmaceutical manufacturers must use a unique identification code (data matrix) for every unit of prescription medicine produced for the EU market. The code allows for the verification of authenticity.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers must also submit their data to a central European database called the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS). The EMVS allows for the tracking and tracing prescription medicines throughout the EU supply chain.

Some tips for your pharmacy

According to the FMD, pharmacies are obliged to verify every prescription medicine with the EMVS database before they give it to their patients. If not, penalties will be given by the government.

To help you deal with the directive daily, we researched some useful tips.

Stay up to date

Ensure that you understand the FMD, its requirements, and how it affects your work as a pharmacist. Stay up to date with any changes or updates.

Hardware & software check

Verify that your pharmacy software and hardware are capable of scanning and verifying the identification code on prescription medicines. If you are not sure, contact your supplier.

Train your staff

Make sure they know how to properly scan and verify the unique code.

Record any issues

If you encounter any issues with the verification process or suspect that prescription medicine may be falsified, record the details and report it to the authority.

Keep records

Keep records of all prescription medicines dispensed, including their unique identification codes, to ensure that you can trace their authenticity if needed.

How can a Meditech pharmacy robot help?

Our Meditech pharmacy robot is equipped with the necessary software to quickly scan prescription medicines and verifies their authenticity (EMVS database) via your pharmacy software. You can scan the medicines manually or automatically via our loading systems. This will improve your efficiency while reducing the likelihood of errors.