2020/0051/LT
EC/EFTA
LT Lithuania
  • B00 - CONSTRUCTION
2020-05-12
2020-02-17

The draft proposes to regulate the offer of distance selling of prescription drugs and/or reimbursable medical aids (hereinafter referred to as ‘MA’) based on e-prescriptions.

Draft Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania amending the Order No V-1491 of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania of 21 December 2015 “On the approval of the description of the procedure for offering medicinal products for distance selling to the public”

The draft proposes to supplement the existing regulation on the offer of distance selling of non-prescription drugs by adding the provisions governing the offer of distance selling of prescription drugs and/or MAs based on of e-prescriptions.

The essence of amendment of the Order is to provide the information to a patient according to the e-prescriptions issued to him/her. Such information includes the information on prescription drugs and MAs offered by different pharmacies after the patient chooses the e-prescriptions and preferred medicines or MAs by using the Electronic Information System of Health Services and Collaboration Infrastructure (hereinafter - ‘ESPBI IS’). Also, the essence of amendment of the Order is to transfer this information to the pharmacy of the patient's choice, which will initiate the distance selling of the patient's selected medicines or MAs (while at the pharmacy, the pharmacist's advice will be provided by various means of communication, the delivery terms will be negotiated, the payments will be made, etc.):

1. The draft lays down the possibility for citizens to select (on the ESPBI IS e-Health Portal) the preferred prescription drug or MA and the pharmacy where they wish to purchase the chosen prescription drug or MA based on the issued e-prescription and to convey this information to the selected pharmacy.

2. Accordingly, the draft includes the requirement for the pharmacy, which offers to citizens the distance selling of prescription drugs and/or MAs, to provide the relevant information to the ESPBI IS via the pharmacy information systems by using the integration interfaces. Such relevant information may include the information on the prescription drugs and/or MAs offered for sale at a distance, their prices and/or state-funded reimbursements, and their stocks.

3. Once the pharmacy accepts the information from the ESPBI IS about the prescription drug or MA that has been selected by a citizen on the e-health portal based on the issued e-prescription or any e-prescription which the citizen wishes to use for purchasing a prescription drug or MA, the pharmacy specialist shall be authorised to provide the pharmaceutical service and to prepare the dispensing document.

It should be noted that the distance selling of prescription drugs and MAs is not a mandatory activity.