Falsified medicines are a raising problem for the German drug market. The complex distribution channels across the European market facilitates the introduction of falsified and stolen medicines into the legal supply chain and may pose a risk for patients. The "Herceptin® case" from 2014 of falsified medicines of Italian origin demonstrates how complex distribution systems have been misused by criminal organizations in order to introduce stolen and thus falsified medicines via the parallel trade into the market, and which measures the authorities and the parallel-traders in the national and European network have taken to ensure patient safety. Falsified medicines will continue to be a problem in the future, so new monitoring systems have to be established and effectively used for prevention. The introduction of the EU-wide serialisation system in February 2019 is therefore intended to identify falsified drugs and to prevent the further trade as well as the expenditure to the patient. Furthermore, the maintenance and intensification of the cooperation between all EU authorities involved remains indispensable to close gateways in the distribution system for falsified medicines and to minimise the risk to the population.
Keywords: Falsified medicines; Illegal medicines; Incoming goods inspection; Parallel trade; Patient safety.