The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will use its inspections to see if pharmacies are meeting the requirements of the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) which comes into force next month.

Pharmacy’s regulator said it wants to ensure pharmacies are carrying out FMD, which comes into force on February 9 and will require pharmacies to scan the barcodes of all medicines at the point of dispensing and check the anti-tamper device, during inspections.

Last year, the GPhC agreed on its new approach to regulation which included unannounced inspections and publication of inspection reports.

“The General Pharmaceutical Council and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are working together to make sure the new requirements are met and medicines are safe for the public to use,” the GPhC said.

“As the regulator for registered pharmacies in Great Britain, the GPhC will use its existing inspection processes to assess whether pharmacies are meeting its standards.

“For those registered pharmacies that are found not to have met the standards for registered pharmacies, and where a contributing factor relates to breaches of the new safety feature provisions, the GPhC will use its regulatory powers, including improvement action plans, to make sure that pharmacies take action to meet the standards and requirements under legislation.”

The GPhC said it would share information with the MHRA to ensure FMD is properly carried out in pharmacies.

The GPhC also reminded pharmacists and pharmacy owners that the MHRA has the power to serve enforcement notices and persue criminal prosecution for the most serious and consistent breaches.

Picture: JackF (iStock)