The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 to promote unity among its member states and to foster, among other things, progress in economic and social fields, including health. The United Kingdom is among its 40 members.
In recent years, the council has organised a number of seminars on pharmacy issues, the most recent of which took place in Strasbourg last week (see p718). The objective of the latest seminar was to promote the role of the pharmacist in managing new health risks. Previous gatherings have examined "the role and training of community pharmacists" (1991) and "the pharmacist and the challenge of new social trends" (1995).
One of the risks that the latest seminar considered was the offering for sale of medicines direct to the public via the internet. It was recognised that this essentially unregulated field of activity posed health risks, in that recipients would not have the benefit of informed advice from a knowledgeable professional and that they might be harmed by having unrestricted access to medicines that were not suitable for them. Among the solutions proposed was that medicines should only be released through private or state postal services after they had been vetted by a pharmacist. We can see the sense in this proposal; indeed, it forms the basis of legislation covering direct sales of medicines in countries throughout Europe and the world. But the making of cross-border regulations governing electronic commerce when there is not even harmonisation of existing national laws on normal sales will be challenging, to say the least. That is not to say that an attempt at a common approach should not be made. Without it, existing safeguards designed to ensure that members of the public use medicines in an appropriate manner and receive medicines that are appropriate for them will ultimately be ineffective.
The Society's Council has given preliminary thought to the matter (PJ, October 16, p631) as have professional groupings within the EU, such as the Pharmaceutical Group of the Europen Union. The Society's Council will be looking at the matter again and is in the process of gathering information on the matter.
A report of the Council of Europe seminar will be circulated to participants as well as to national authorities and other interested parties, and will be used as the basis for drawing up a Council of Europe Committee of Ministers resolution on the subject.
Those conclusions will be awaited with interest. If they assist in untangling a complex situation in the interest of public health they will be most welcome.