STARTING FROM 18 MARCH PHARMACIES WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT MEDICAMENTS WITHOUT BARCODE LABEL.

Pharmacies will no longer accept medicaments without latent stripe label starting from 18 March. This measure was taken in conformity with the automated information system of registration and control of the registered medicaments, which is being implemented in the Republic of Moldova by the Medicaments agency together with the Ministry of Information Development.

Nicolae Robu, Director of the Center of the automated registration of medicaments circulation of the Medicaments agency told in an interview, that the deadline for the registration of medicaments with a barcode label for storehouses and importers is March 17. Thus, stating from 18 March all the medicaments in the pharmacies will bear a barcode label. The stocktaking of all the stored medicaments will be over in the first half of April.

According to the information from the Ministry of Information Development, the medicaments pack will bear a label with latent stripe. On the demands of customers the barcode can be read with the help of the special device, installed in pharmacies, giving the information about medicament. The very presence of the entry can certify the quality of medicament, which is tested by the Medicaments agency.

Experts think that the introduction of this system will regulate the import and export of medicaments as well as the control over the turnover of medicaments on the market. This measure will exclude the falsification of medicaments and will establish strict control over the prices.

The Ministry of Information Development plans to implement the automated system of registration of medicaments in Chisinau municipal district in 2006 till the end of the first half of the year. The system will be implemented on all the territory of Moldova in the second half of the year.

According to the information from the Medicaments agency, there are 1096 pharmaceutical enterprises currently working in the Republic of Moldova on the basis of the license. 117 of these are pharmaceutical storehouses, 22 are manufacturing enterprises, 957 are public pharmacies and 85 are pharmacies within medical institutions. The state register of medicaments currently includes 5045 types of medicaments, including 536 which are produced in Moldova. 90% of medicaments are imported.