The Medicines Verification System is the first electronic system that brings together all stakeholders in the medicines supply chain in Bulgaria

The five-year anniversary of the entry into force of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive and the launch of Bulgarian Medicines Verification System was celebrated on 19 March 2024 at Sofia Balkan Palace. Certificates of appreciation were awarded to representatives of state institutions and organizations, partners in the implementation and development of the Verification System.

At the opening ceremony, the Chairperson of the Board of Bulgarian Medicines Verification Organization (BgMVO), Olya Vassileva, Executive Director of Bulgarian Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (BAPW), emphasized that successful communication with the institutions and all stakeholders is key to success of the project for Medicines Verification System implementation in Bulgaria, as evidenced by the fact that this is the largest public-private project in Europe for the benefit of patients.

In his greeting speech prof. Ilko Getov, Deputy Minister of Health, highly appreciated the work of all participants in the project: “The introduction of the Medicines Verification System in Bulgaria was made possible thanks to the fact that 5 years ago all stakeholders involved in the medicines manufacturing and distribution, who are at the heart of the project, have joined hands. This partnership model is alive and functioning, he added and thanked all those who have been contributing from the very beginning.”

“We can be proud of our achievements that we have made so far,” Illiana Paunova, Executive Director of BgMVO, said. The Medicines Verification System in Bulgaria was launched on 9 February 2019 with the aim of providing patients with authentic medicines. It is part of the European Medicines Verification System and operates sustainably with high quality standards in all core and supporting processes. The overall indicators of performance and availability of the System are over 99.90%.

Illiana Paunova presented main aspects of BgMVO establishment, the successful operation of the Medicines Verification System and the upcoming steps to improve its functions in Bulgaria and in the EU countries. “In Bulgaria, this was the first nationwide digital medicines supply system,” she highlighted in her presentation. “The scale deployment of this project has been made possible in our country thanks to legislative changes, as well as the cooperation between government institutions and stakeholders in the medicines supply. Another important factor for the successful implementation and functioning of the Verification System is the dedicated work of the BgMVO team”, noted Illiana Paunova.

The guests congratulated BgMVO team and highlighted the extraordinary progress during these 5 years in understanding the importance and relevance of the Medicines Verification System and the need to continue the integration of all information systems in medicines supply in Bulgaria.

Illiana Paunova presented certificates of appreciation for 5 years of partnership in the implementation of the European Falsified Medicines Directive to representatives of the Health Committee of the 49th National Assembly, the Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Fund, the National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products, the Bulgarian Drug Agency, GS1 – Bulgaria, Sabev & Partners Law Firm and Account K Ltd.

Certificates of appreciation for 5 years of partnership in the implementation of the European Falsified Medicines Directive were also presented to the representatives of the founding organizations of BgMVO, who are also Board members of the organization: The Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria (ARPharM), the Bulgarian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (BGPharma), the Bulgarian Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (BAPW), the Bulgarian Association for Medicines Parallel Trade Development (BAMPTD) and the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union (BPhU).

BgMVO received congratulatory addresses from the Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Fund, the Bulgarian Information Service JSC, GS1 – Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, as well as many congratulations from the participants in the festive event.