The MHRA must end its stalemate with the EU over its anti-counterfeiting strategy – including plans to introduce barcodes onto almost all prescription medicines – or risk lagging behind the rest of Europe, pharmacy leaders told an all-party pharmacy group (APPG) meeting yesterday (May 13).

Speakers stressed that EU officials were keen for pharmacists to verify medicine barcodes and the UK needed to decide how it would approach the proposals, due to become law by 2017. The plans are likely to require medicines to carry tamper-evident seals and 2D barcodes, which will be scanned by the pharmacist before they are dispensed to the patient.

The MHRA has previously voiced concerns about the potentially "disproportionate expenditure" on the proposals and today (May 14) told C+D that it maintained its opposition to the planned safety features, stressing it had a "high-profile and successful" anti-counterfeiting strategy in place in the UK already.

"Whatever you think about [the plans], it's very clear the European Commission sees verification at the point of dispensing as the way forward" John Chave, PGEU	More on counterfeits Counterfeits battle could see POM scanners in       pharmacies by 2017 Pharmacy Voice urges MHRA to be tougher on       counterfeits ABPI hits out at MHRA negativity on European       anti-counterfeiting plans MORE NEWS
	APPG chair Kevin Barron warned that the UK no longer had time to deliberate on the EU plans. "It's crucial the implementation [of this system] is properly thought through in advance," he argued.

Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) membership services director Samantha Ogden agreed that the UK risked becoming a "hotbed for counterfeits" if it did not implement the plans to the same standard as the rest of Europe.

"We're really keen to get the MHRA around the table and have that discussion because 2017 isn't actually that far away and early planning is what we're looking to achieve," she said.

The warnings were echoed by NPA public affairs manager Gareth Jones, who said the process of implementing a barcode system was likely to take about three years – leaving the UK with little time to take action.

Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) general secretay John Chave stressed that the rest of Europe was keen to adopt the barcode system, despite MHRA objections. He said the UK "stood out" from other responses to the proposals across the union.

"Whatever you think about [the plans], it's very clear the European Commission sees verification at the point of dispensing as the way forward," Mr Chave argued. "So we need to ensure we get a system that's as effective as possible and isn't an unnecessary burden."

Mr Chave warned that countries such as Germany and France were ahead of the UK in preparing for the barcode system. "If the MHRA wants to be part of this, now really is the time," he argued.

The MHRA told C+D it was working to implement other areas of the EU's anti-counterfeiting plans, which aim to increase the identification and reporting of counterfeits and strengthen regulation.

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