Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate

The conference brought together representatives of public administration and the academic community, as well as experts in addiction prevention and treatment and harm reduction. The programme covered public policy, emerging threats and cooperation among institutions responsible for health security.

During the session “The illicit drug and medicine market – new forms of access”, CPI representatives discussed the role of the State Pharmaceutical Inspection and the challenges associated with the illicit trade in medicinal products. Olga Sierpniowska, Director of the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector’s Office, spoke about the challenges associated with the non-medical use of certain medicinal products. She indicated that the problem concerns, among other things, products containing codeine and pseudoephedrine.

Mateusz Żuber, Director of the Internal Control and Compliance Department at the CPI, outlined the risks associated with the illicit trade in medicinal products, including the online offering of prescription-only medicines. He also discussed data on trade in selected controlled substances and measures taken by the State Pharmaceutical Inspection to combat pharmaceutical crime.

Summarising the CPI’s participation in the conference, Olga Sierpniowska recalled that educational activities concerning the safe purchase of medicinal products are an important part of the Inspectorate’s work. She also noted that, under the Pharmaceutical Law, prescription-only medicinal products may not be sold by mail order and that products of this type offered online with delivery to the customer are classified as falsified under the law.