The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy in the EU

EU Legislative Interests

Campaigning to ensure that implementation of the Falsified Medicines Directive continues to be successful, particularly the implementation of the safety features in the hospital sector which became mandatory on February 9th 2019 as well as the Common Logo. These will be achieved by raising public awareness through educational campaigns as well as EU Parliament roundtables. And also by collaboration with appropriate government medical regulatory bodies. Close liaison with its sister global organisation ASOP Global and also other non-profit organisations, such NABP and Fight the Fakes, to effect the best collaboration to support each other's goals. In 2021/2/3, ASOP EU has been campaigning to ensure the Digital Services Act and NIS2 covers the appropriate areas of the Internet, especially all Intermediaries and to ensure transparency of any business entity (by the provision of genuine and proven contact details). More recently ASOP EU has been campaigning for prescription medicines to be obtained online. Currently 8 Member States have allowed this for many years. A recent report carried out (Q4 2023) by an independent company - Copenhagen Economics amongst 5 Member Sates (n=5000) provided concrete evidence of the benefits especially to the chronically ill in terms of convenience (time saving amongst other criteria) as well as to enhance adherence to treatment regimens. Recently ASOP EU in close liaison with the EAEP have been advocating to amend Article 172 of the General Pharmaceutical Legislation along with a growing Alliance - The OnHOME Alliance which comprising a growing number of patient organisations (now up to 43) as well as stakeholders (www.onhomealliance.pharmacy).

Communication Activities

The organisation has completed in 2018 a comprehensive educational campaign via the use of Search engine "adwords" via a Google AdWord Grant which can help the patient and consumer find educational information that will help them to buy their medicines online (where it is legal to do so) more safely. In 2023 ASOP EU was involved with public facing campaigns by collaborating with Member States' agencies responsible for the administration and oversight of the Common Logo to support the initiation of public facing campaigns to educate the public on falsified medicines (obligatory under Article 85D of the Falsified Medicines Directive). A survey amongst 12 Member States was completed and many were in agreement to collaborate further and share good practices. In 2019 the ASOP EU was acknowledged as a contributor to a significant OECD/EUIPO report Illicit Trade - Trade in Pharmaceutical Products https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/web/observatory/trade-in-counterfeit-pharmaceutical-products. ASOP EU is an active supporter and member of the Advisory group of the NABP top level domain .pharmacy https://nabp.pharmacy/programs/dotpharmacy/#:~:text=NABP%20reviews%20pharmacies%20with%20an,to%20the%20verified%20websites%20list. In 2021 ASOP EU received official "Observer" status of the MediCrime Convention - The Committee of the Parties and has been contributing to the development of this international convention by submitting activities that will potentially enhance the effectiveness of the MediCrime Convention. These were presented in Strasbourg in Q3 2023, in a Plenary session where three activities were recommended 1. Alignment with the DSA 2. Market research to track and monitor progress of any in-country anti-counterfeiting initiatives 3. The adoption of a Top level Domain Name such as the NABP DotPharmacy suffix. These initiatives have been re-iterated in successive plenary meetings, with the addition of informing members of two new surveillance tools namely the Global Signal Exchange run by the Global Anti-Scam Association https://www.gasa.org and a tool that can detect social media "bad actor" activity. ASOP EU was campaigning to extend the scope of the Digital Services Act and to establish the KYBC principles for all intermediaries and had written letters to the EU parliament/Council and the Commission https://www.kybc.eu/media-positions/#open-letters. In addition it has contributed to the policy inputs on the NIS2 and will support at a country level, to ensure that the transposition is as robust as possible. ASOP EU is now following the implementation of the DSA and supporting where it can with DG CONNECT. ASOP EU are Civil Society members of the EUIPO Observatory and has contributed to the Expert groups namely, Domain Names and more recently on the Search Engine work stream. ASOP EU was invited to join the KYBC UK Community and to support this with a patient safety evidence and to help build a healthcare KYBC UK community. ASOP EU is also championing the potential instrument that would, using a Google algorithm, identify and then demote websites selling illicit medicines to low search engine pages. in 2026 it plans to raise public awareness of falsified medicines via a Google Ad and a Tik Tok campaigns. It will also publish in collaboration with the University of London School of Pharmacy a pan-European patient survey which has gained insights in to the desirability and benefits for patients (especially those who are chronically ill or disabled) to have a pharmacy service that will allow their prescription medicines delivered directly to their place of residence.

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

https://www.euhealthcoalition.eu/ www.kybc.eu https://nabp.pharmacy/programs/dotpharmacy/#:~:text=NABP%20reviews%20pharmacies%20with%20an,to%20the%20verified%20websites%20list. https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/observatory https://www.coe.int/en/web/medicrime/plenary-meeting www.onhomealliance.pharmacy

Organisation Members

https://buysaferx.pharmacy/eu/asop-eu-members-and-observers/