With less than a month to go before the 9 February deadline for community pharmacies to comply with the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has issued online guidance.

FMD aims to remove ‘false medicines’ from the European supply chain. It requires pharmacies to scan each POM medicine pack at the point of dispensing them, thereby informing a central hub that the pack has been safely ‘decommissioned’.

The RPS guidance walks pharmacy teams through the key aspects of FMD, from the security features required on medicinal packs to the scanning authentication process and the penalties for failure to comply. It also explores the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit on this EU-wide directive and looks at potential scenarios pharmacy teams might encounter.

The RPS says it has “been working with partners since 2011 on implementation challenges for FMD to ensure it works in accordance with UK law and ensures patient safety, while minimising disruption to existing pharmacy practise”.