2D Matrix Codes: which countries are already connected to the European Hub?

From 9 February, 2019 onwards, prescription drugs may only be regularly entered into the market if their packaging carries a unique identifier and anti-tampering device.

The verification of individual identifiers is carried out by national data storage and retrieval systems, which are interlinked by the European Hub. Besides securPharm, the German system which had been the first to be connected, there are now ten more national systems linked to the EU Hub. This was announced by the European Medicines Verification Organisation (EMVO). Currently, the following 11 out of 32 countries are connected to the Hub:

• Austria
• Bulgaria
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Germany
• Island
• Ireland
• Lithuania
• Norway
• Slovenia
• Sweden

Thus, the development of the European network against falsified medicines is gaining momentum.

The European Medicines Verification Organisation (EMVO) is a Belgian non-profit organisation representing its participants who, as required by the delegated act for the Falsified Medicines Directive (EU) 2016/161, have joined forces to protect the legal supply chain from falsified medicines.

The EMVO founding members are:

• EFPIA (The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations),
• Medicines for Europe (The European Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association),
• PGEU (The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union),
• GIRP (The European Healthcare Distribution Association) and
• EAEPC (The European Association of Euro-Pharmaceutical Companies).

Read more about the latest EMVO developments.