FMD - Do you need to sign a new contract with your existing supplier?

News / FMD – Do you need to sign a new contract with your existing supplier?

Please be aware that pharmacists do not need to sign a new contract in order to be compliant with the new Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) law which comes into effect on 9^th February 2019. The new law means that pharmacies will need to verify and decommission medicine to ensure that they are not counterfeit. All medication packs will have a Unique Identifier (UI) in the form of a 2D data matrix (barcode) and an anti-tamper device (ATD).

Despite this being clear and straightforward we have recently been made aware that some other suppliers are asking their customers to upgrade their software, purchase new computers and other hardware.

Please note that this is not the case with RxWeb. We have worked hard to make FMD as simple as possible for our customers and other pharmacists by developing a standalone cloud-based software solution for all UK pharmacies.

The system will allow you to:

Scan all products using an FMD-compatible 2D barcode scanner
Check the anti-tampering device (ATD) to ensure the product is intact
Communicate with the UK’s National Medicine Verification System (NMVS)
Verify stock on entry and decommission stock as part of the dispensing process
Change the status of the pack from ‘active’ to ‘inactive – supplied’ NMVS before dispensing

In order to use the system:

You will not need to upgrade your contract to be FMD compliant
You will need to buy FMD-compatible 2D barcode scanners (England and Scotland only, Wales already use 2D barcode scanners)
You should have one scanner per dispensing terminal PC or Windows tablet (recommended)
You do not have to be a RxWeb customer

As part of the pharmacy process, all medication packs will need to be scanned and checked when FMD is implemented, which could cause an extra burden to pharmacies. We are developing a standalone cloud-based system it will be available to both RxWeb customers and non-customers – therefore making it a software solution accessible to all pharmacies.

We will continue to keep you updated on our process, however, in the meantime, we advise pharmacy owners and managers to do their own research into FMD to find out what they do and do not need to do.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your Business Development Manager or email us at sales@rxweb.sobold.dev.

Below are some websites and articles which pharmacists may find useful: