The risks of pharmaceutical crime are growing
As a pharmacy professional, you play a vital role in ensuring that falsified medicines do not reach patients in Finland. One of the most effective ways to prevent falsifications is by handling system-generated alerts according to the established guidelines. It’s also important that the designated main user informs Fimvo of any operational changes at your pharmacy.
Together with pharmacies, Fimvo supports meaningful work in protecting medication safety across Europe.
How do pharmacies prevent falsifications from ending up with patients?
- System Connection: Pharmacies connect to the medicine verification system through their existing software.
- Verification Process: At the point of dispensing, the 2D code on the medicine pack is scanned and the anti-tampering device is checked. While verification can occur at any time, the unique identifier must not be decommissioned until the medicine is being dispensed.
- Best Practice: The goal is to decommission the unique identifier as close to the patient as possible. This minimizes the risk of falsified medicines reaching patients.
The aim is that the unique identifier is always decommissioned from the verification system as close to the the patient as possible. This way the possibility of falsified medicines reashing patients can be minimised.
EU legislation enables hospital pharmacies to decommission the unique identifier already at the point of the pack arriving at the hospital pharmacy. Best practices regarding the time of decommissioning will depend largely on the hospital pharmacy’s stock management and the also the type of the medicine.
Alerts in the system
Alerts or error messages may appear in the verification system due to suspected falsifications or incorrect product data.
- Before Dispensing: Always investigate the cause of an alert before giving the medicine to the patient.
- False Alerts: If the alert is confirmed to be false and there’s no suspicion of falsification, the medicine may be dispensed.
- Returns: Do not return the pack to the wholesaler until the alert cause is clarified or the return is approved by the marketing authorisation holder.
Fimvo provides clear guidelines for handling alerts. The guideline is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.
Technical issues and problems
System disruptions may occur, affecting pharmacy operations.
- Error Messages: These may appear in your pharmacy or hospital IT system.
- What to Do:
- Check for bulletins from Fimvo or your IT system provider.
- Fimvo shares updates on major or long-term incidents via its website.
- If no bulletin is available, contact your IT system vendor’s support.
Most pharmacy systems have buffering capabilities, allowing medicine packs to be verified and dispensed even during technical issues. Once the system is restored, the verification data is automatically transmitted.
If verification is not possible, medicines may still be dispensed. In such cases:
- Record the pack’s unique identifier (product code, serial number, batch number, expiry date).
- Consider photographing the packaging.
- Verify the pack information as soon as possible.Technical failures may occur in the operation of the verification system which impede or slow down the operation of the system.
Agreement for System Users with Fimvo