The list of vaccines whose export is temporarily prohibited due to their lack of domestic availability was published by the National Organization for Medicines (EOF) on Wednesday (10/05).

The list includes 26 vaccine codes temporarily prohibited from parallel export and circulation within the Community, including vaccines against hepatitis A and B, respiratory infections, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, shingles, HPV and pneumococcus.

According to the EOF, the ban list was issued following an assessment of the adequacy of the vaccines in question on the market. The organization recalls that the obligation to sell exclusively in the domestic market applies to all pharmaceutical products that are sold in Greece after the EOF approval for emergency import or by a decision by way of exclusion from circulation with foreign language labeling.

At the same time, he emphasizes that, in any case, the availability of medicines for patients in Greece is determined as a matter of priority by all participants in the distribution chain (marketing license holders, drug warehouses, pharmacies) in accordance with their demand and legal requirements. .

An exception is the movement of medicines from or through Greece to Cyprus or another EU Member State when this is carried out by marketing authorization holders/local representatives or authorized wholesale license holders and is expressly provided for in the contract between the Greek company and the foreign company. .

Finally, the Organization indicates that, with regard to the adequacy of products, it monitors the fulfillment of obligations and imposes sanctions in case of insufficient coverage of the needs of patients.

This decision is effective from Sunday 14/05, is temporary and will remain in effect until changed or canceled by a newer decision.

During the period of its validity, any storage of these products is also prohibited. Pharmacies must report their vaccine stocks to EOF within 3 days.

The decision to temporarily ban parallel exports and intra-Community traffic supersedes and cancels any previous decision to temporarily ban parallel exports and intra-Community traffic in relation to vaccines, as the production of vaccines is a complex, labor-intensive and limited process.