Directive 2012/26/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 amending Directive 2001/83/EC as regards pharmacovigilance Text with EEA relevance

‘2 Where the referral to the Committee concerns a range of medicinal products or a therapeutic class, the Agency may limit the procedure to certain specific parts of the authorisation. In that event, Article 35 shall apply to those medicinal products only if they were covered by the authorisation procedures referred to in this Chapter. Where the scope of the procedure initiated under this Article concerns a range of medicinal products or a therapeutic class, medicinal products authorised in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 which belong to that range or class shall also be included in the procedure.

3 Without prejudice to paragraph 1, a Member State may, where urgent action is necessary to protect public health at any stage of the procedure, suspend the marketing authorisation and prohibit the use of the medicinal product concerned on its territory until a definitive decision is adopted. It shall inform the Commission, the Agency and the other Member States, no later than the following working day, of the reasons for its action.

4 Where the scope of the procedure initiated under this Article, as determined in accordance with paragraph 2, includes medicinal products authorised in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 726/2004, the Commission may, where urgent action is necessary to protect public health, at any stage of the procedure, suspend the marketing authorisations and prohibit the use of the medicinal products concerned until a definitive decision is adopted. The Commission shall inform the Agency and the Member States no later than the following working day of the reasons for its action.’;

‘1 The particulars for labelling listed in Articles 54, 59 and 62 shall appear in an official language or official languages of the Member State where the medicinal product is placed on the market, as specified, for the purposes of this Directive, by that Member State.’;

‘2 The package leaflet must be written and designed in such a way as to be clear and understandable, enabling users to act appropriately, when necessary with the help of health professionals. The package leaflet must be clearly legible in an official language or official languages of the Member State where the medicinal product is placed on the market, as specified, for the purposes of this Directive, by that Member State.’;

‘3 Where the medicinal product is not intended to be delivered directly to the patient, or where there are severe problems in respect of the availability of the medicinal product, the competent authorities may, subject to measures they consider necessary to safeguard human health, grant an exemption to the obligation that certain particulars should appear on the labelling and in the package leaflet. They may also grant a full or partial exemption to the obligation that the labelling and the package leaflet must be in an official language or official languages of the Member State where the medicinal product is placed on the market, as specified, for the purposes of this Directive, by that Member State.’;

In the case of wholesale distribution of medicinal products to third countries, Article 76 and point (c) of the first paragraph of Article 80 shall not apply. Moreover, points (b) and (ca) of the first paragraph of Article 80 shall not apply where a product is directly received from a third country but not imported. However, in that case wholesale distributors shall ensure that the medicinal products are obtained only from persons who are authorised or entitled to supply medicinal products in accordance with the applicable legal and administrative provisions of the third country concerned. Where wholesale distributors supply medicinal products to persons in third countries, they shall ensure that such supplies are only made to persons who are authorised or entitled to receive medicinal products for wholesale distribution or supply to the public in accordance with the applicable legal and administrative provisions of the third country concerned. The requirements set out in Article 82 shall apply to the supply of medicinal products to persons in third countries authorised or entitled to supply medicinal products to the public.’;

1 Member States shall adopt and publish the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 28 October 2013 at the latest. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions. They shall apply those provisions from 28 October 2013. When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.

2 Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.