Translation of "Bureau des médicaments en vente libre " (French → English) :

‘Pharmaceuticals and other medical non-durable goods’ (non-specified by function) means pharmaceutical products and non-durable medical goods intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation or treatment of disease, including prescribed medicines and over-the-counter drugs, where the function and mode of provision are not specified.

implementation of a uniform e-prescribing system; publication of the complete price list for the medicines in the market; application of the list of non-reimbursed medicines and of the list of over-the-counter medicines; publication of the new list of reimbursed medicines using the new reference price system; the use of the information made available through e-prescribing and scanning for the collection of rebates from pharmaceutical companies; introduction of a monitoring mechanism allowing for pharmaceutical expenditure to be assessed on a monthly basis; enforcement of co-payments for regular outpatient services of EUR 5 and extension of co-payments to unwarranted visits to emergency departments; publication of audited accounts for hospitals a ...[+++]nd health centres; and creation of an independent taskforce of health policy experts whose task is to produce, by end May 2011, a detailed report for an overall reform of the health system aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness in the health system; ’;

As only national authorities have comprehensive knowledge about the medicinal products authorised in the respective Member States, the Commission does not possess the necessary information to draw up a single harmonised list of over-the-counter medicines.

Is any study being carried out into drawing up a single list of over-the-counter drugs, valid in all Member States, to avoid the confusion caused among the public through the existence of numerous lists of non-prescription drugs?

Useful experience has been gained in franchising, social marketing, use of voucher schemes, over-the-counter sales of non-prescription items, public-private collaboration, regulation and contracting.

Whereas the conditions for the supply of medicinal products for human use to the public vary appreciably from one Member State to another; whereas medicinal products sold without prescriptions in certain Member States can be obtained only on medical prescription in other Member States;