Medicine Thefts And Their Prevention: Current Approach In Italy And Future Perspectives

Abstract

In recent years, medicine thefts have become a European challenge. In Italy, the number of thefts, from hospitals, has increased exponentially since 2011. The major drivers were the introduction of life-saving expensive medicines, the price differentials between countries and the different reimbursement regimes adopted in the European Union. This situation resulted in the AIFA (Italian Medicines Agency) Counterfeiting Prevention Unit setting up a number of preventive strategies that have minimized and in some cases eradicated the problem. In this review, we briefly describe trends and impacts of medicine thefts in Italy, the ‘Herceptin Case’, a major criminal effort that has been dismantled, and some of the preliminary results of PADLOck (Progetto di Adeguamento Dei Livelli di sicurezza delle farmacie Ospedaliere contro il rischio di furti e definizione di standard tecnici), a study aimed at evaluating the safety of hospital pharmacists and made sure that preventive and corrective measures against medicine thefts are put in place. The implementation of some of the tools developed by AIFA is under evaluation and/or implementation by other European Authorities, leading to a more effective approach in tackling one of the most relevant challenges in access to medicines in the European Union.