EU Regulates Internet Drug Sales

The European Union ambassadors approved an agreement to regulate medicines sold over the internet. The agreement will create regulation intended to protect legal suppliers of medicine.

The European Union ambassadors approved an agreement to regulate medicines sold over the internet.

The agreement approved by the EU ambassadors will create regulation intended to protect legal suppliers of medicine. New rules will require internet pharmacies to register with authorities in their home country and ensure that the products sold are licensed for sale in the country of purchase, reports The European Voice.

Marisa Matias, Portugese delegate, who led the negotiations on the proposal, originally sought criminal sanctions against fake drugs “that should be at least equivalent to those usually applied to narcotics offences.”

However, she was satisfied with the outcome. “The absence of a legal framework encourages not only counterfeiting but also counterfeiters, who are organized in highly profitable criminal networks,” she said.