France is coming under pressure from the European Commission to reform its time-consuming and expensive parallel importation regime for medicines.
The commission has issued a "reasoned opinion" which gives France two months to explain how it is to reform its system or else face a legal action at the European Court of Justice. The court has the power to order France to comply or to pay daily fines of around €100,000 (£62,000).
Currently, French law makes imports of medicines purchased in another European Community member state subject to the same rules as new medicines, even where they are already covered by a marketing authorisation and are identical to products already authorised in France.
In a statement, the commission said: "Parallel imports of this nature should be subject to a rapid, simplified procedure designed to check that they are indeed identical to products already authorised in France, thereby ensuring that they do not present any risk to health."
The commission said that France had previously agreed in principle to reform of its system, but that had yet to do so.