Brief: Two online pharmacies ignore EU logo deadline

Two unnamed businesses have declined to display a logo - required under EU law - that is designed to protect consumers against falsified medicines.

A report in Chemist + Druggist said the two online pharmacies had ignored efforts by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) to persuade them to comply with the new requirement, which came into force on July 1.

The logo (pictured) is one of a series of measures introduced under the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) intended to safeguard patient health. The logo hyperlinks to the pharmacy's entry in the official list of registered online sellers hosted by member state national authorities.

The penalty for selling medicines online without being registered and not displaying the logo is up to two years in prison or a fine or both. According to C+D, the MHRA has sent the two non-compliant businesses a letter "requesting they either register or explain why they feel registration is not necessary".