Starting on Tuesday 10th May, meetings of the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) will take place in Prague, the Czech Republic. The meetings will conclude on Thursday with reunion of the PGEU Executive Committee. The hosting country, represented by the President of the Czech Chamber of Pharmacists (Česká lékárnická komora, ČLnK) and also Vice President of the PGEU Mr. Stanislav Havlíček, will welcome the top leaders of pharmacy organisations, especially the President of the PGEU Mr. Heinz-Günter Wolf and the PGEU Secretary General Mr. John Chave. Three days of intensive meetings are waiting ahead for more than 30 representatives of national pharmacists’ organisations from Europe.
Prague, 9th May 2011– PGEU is preparing summary document related to the role of pharmacist in the health care system, health prevention and self-medication, which is currently discussed at the European level. Based on similar topic there will be an international conference organised by the Hungarian presidency in mid July in Budapest.
These topics are of raising importance in the light of the Professional Recognition Directive 2005/36/ES which is dealing with requirements needed for professional qualification of health care professionals (e.g. doctors, dentists and pharmacists) and other so-called free professions. ČLnK among other professional representative bodies addresses a letter to the Ministry of Health and via PGEU to DG MARKT.
ČLnK pointed out at the insufficient wording of Art 45 and asked for it modification so it would reflect the new developments provision of daily pharmacy practice. It is necessary to revise the Article and enlarge the pharmacists' key role in the medicines management, e.g. related to the importance of pharmacists’ role in pharmacovigilance as stated in the recently adopted Directive on Pharmacovigilance. This Directive is due to be implemented in member countries by 2nd July 2012.
Strategies of detections of counterfeit medicines will be another topic on the table. Counterfeit medicines can seriously harm patients’ health and influence their safety. Therefore the EU aims to limit the threads of the counterfeit medicines by introducing the relevant directive which helps restrict their entry into the official distribution chain.
The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) is the European association representing more than 400,000 community pharmacists. PGEU’s members are the national associations and professional bodies of pharmacists in 31 European countries, including EU Member States, EEA members and EU applicant countries. The Czech Chamber of Pharmacists is PGEU member since 1997. For more information visit www.pgeu.eu and www.lekarnici.cz.