Czechia’s State Institute for Drug Control has detected illegal exports of medicines worth €2.3 million, with Deputy Health Minister Jakub Dvořáček announcing Czechia will double down on so-called “pharmacy crime”, which he said concerns the rest of Europe.
The institute’s inspection revealed the disappearance of at least 130,000 packages of prescribed drugs, including for diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure or cholesterol, epilepsy and blood clotting.
“The inspections revealed a total of 14 cases where pharmacy operators ordered medicines but did not enter them into pharmacy systems,” Irena Storová, the head of the Institute for Drug Control, SÚKL for short, said.
“We suspect that this is an illegal organised activity aimed at exporting these medicines abroad,” she said, adding that it affects drugs that are more expensive abroad than in the Czech Republic, where the price is regulated.
“Drugs can go to countries where there is no price regulation at the particular moment. In one month, it can be for example Scandinavia, after it imposes regulation, drugs can go to countries like Germany or any other European country,” said Deputy Health Minister Jakub Dvořáček for Czech Television.
“I’m afraid that at the moment this is the tip of the iceberg,” Dvořáček warned.
The institute also handed over the reports of its inspection to relevant authorities, including police and customs bodies.
“The issue of ‘Pharmacy crime’ is now of pan-European scope. It is one of the priorities we have set for 2023 in the area of law enforcement,” said David Chovanec, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Customs, in reaction to SÚKL’s findings.
According to the Institute, illegal exports of drugs may directly jeopardise the availability of medicines in Czechia, and thus reduce the quality and availability of healthcare.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
Source: euractiv.com
