Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to make pharmacies (a) aware and (b) prepared for the implementation of the Falsified Medicines Directive by February 2019.

The Government has been working closely with a wide variety of stakeholders impacted by the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), including community pharmacy, to raise awareness and support preparation for implementation. We have established an Implementation Advisory Board and the FMD Communications Group to ensure the views of all stakeholders are heard and our messages are being disseminated. This has included regular newsletters and speaking at various external events. We have also worked closely with the United Kingdom FMD working group for community pharmacy to develop sector specific guidance and communications and NHS Digital has produced technical guidance to support implementation decisions.