Dalli vows to move quickly on medicines counterfeiting

John Dalli, Commissioner-designate for Health and consumer policy at the European Parliament, has said he intends to 'move forward quickly' with what he described as the 'non-controversial' parts of the pharmaceutical package, including the proposals on falsified medicinal products and pharmacovigilance.

Dalli's comments were made yesterday in an official hearing that all the new Commissioners-designate undergo to allow MEPs to ask questions about the plans for their departments.

"We should move as quickly as we can on counterfeiting and pharmacovigilance, even if we have to detach the elements covering information to patients," said Dalli in response to a question posed by Peter Liese (Christian Democrat, Germany).

The latter issue has proved to be the most controversial element in the pharmaceutical package as there are concerns that if handled poorly it could blur the boundary between information and advertising.

Dalli also vowed to strike a balance between the needs of patients and industry, saying he wanted to put patients first but that this did "not exclude a strong commitment that the pharma industry remains competitive."

The topic of counterfeit medicines, and specifically the online trade in medicines and consultations, was raised by MEP Antonyia Parvanova (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Bulgaria).

In response, Dalli said that counterfeits are "not only a danger to consumers but also to innovation," adding that he will "work hard to make sure that the same controls which apply to the offline world also apply to the online one."

Parvanova is a proponent of boosting criminal sanctions, and the powers of police and customs to tackle the counterfeit drugs trade.

At a European Generic medicines Association last November she criticised what she sees as an overemphasis on technology in the European Commission's current proposals for an anticounterfeiting Directive, saying she was concerned about the cost implications for industry and the potential for knock-on price increases for patients.

The full webcast of Dalli's hearing is available on the European Parliament website here.