S.I. No. 538/2007 - Medicinal Products (Control of Wholesale Distribution) Regulations 2007

Type Statutory Instrument
Publication 2007-07-31
Last updated 2022-08-23
State In force superseded text
Text As published
articles 17

This is the act as published. Later amendments are not folded into the text below: each one is a separate act in this repository and an entry in this law's history.

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S.I. No. 538 of 2007

MEDICINAL PRODUCTS (CONTROL OF WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION) REGULATIONS 2007

ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS

1.

1.

Citation

2.

2.

Commencement

3.

3.

Revocations

4.

4.

Interpretation

5.

5.

Requirement for authorisation to sell medicinal products by wholesale

6.

6.

Exemptions

7.

7.

Application for a wholesaler’s authorisation

8.

8.

Consideration of an application for a wholesaler’s authorisation

9.

9.

Grant or refusal of wholesaler’s authorisation

10.

10.

Application and effect of wholesaler’s authorisation

11.

11.

Obligations of wholesalers of medicinal products

12.

12.

Variation of wholesaler’s authorisation

13.

13.

Suspension and revocation of wholesaler’s authorisation

14.

14.

Particular enforcement obligations

15.

15.

Transitional provisions

SCHEDULES

1.

Particulars that must accompany an application for a wholesaler’s authorisation

2.

Requirements to be met by the authorisation holder

3.

Procedural provisions relating to proposals to grant otherwise than in accordance with the holder’s application, proposals to refuse to grant or vary, and proposals to suspend, vary or revoke a wholesaler’s authorisation.

S.I. No. 538 of 2007

MEDICINAL PRODUCTS (CONTROL OF WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION) REGULATIONS 2007

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 31st July, 2007.

The Minister for Health and Children, in exercise of the powers conferred on her by section 32 of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 (No. 29 of 1995), as amended by section 16 of the Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 (No. 3 of 2006) and as adapted by the Health (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 1997 ( S.I. No. 308 of 1997 ) and including for the purpose of giving effect to Title VII of Directive 2001/83/EC (as amended by Directive 2004/27/EC), hereby make the following regulations:—

Citation

1.

These Regulations may be cited as the Medicinal Products (Control of Wholesale Distribution) Regulations 2007.

Commencement

2.

These Regulations shall come into force on 23 July 2007.

Revocation

3.

The Medical Preparations (Wholesale Licences) Regulations 1993 ( S.I. No. 39 of 1993 ) (as amended) are hereby revoked.

Interpretation

4.

(1) In these Regulations:

‘Act’ means the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 as amended by the Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 and by the European Communities (Amendment of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 ) Regulations 2007 ( S.I. No. 542 of 2007 );

‘authorisation holder’ means the holder of a wholesaler’s authorisation;

‘Board’ means the Irish Medicines Board established by section 3 of the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 ;

‘certificate of registration’ means a certificate of registration which is for the time being in force and which has been granted by the Board under the Medicinal Product (Control of Placing on the Market) Regulations 2007 ( S.I. No. 540 of 2007 ) in respect of a homeopathic medicinal product that satisfies the conditions specified in Article 14(1) of the 2001 Directive;

‘certificate of traditional-use registration’ means a certificate of traditional-use registration which is for the time being in force and which has been granted by the Board under the Medicinal Products (Control of Placing on the Market) Regulations 2007 in respect of a traditional herbal medicinal product;

‘Commission’ means the Commission of the European Community;

‘2001 Directive’ means Directive 2001/83/EC 1 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community Code relating to medicinal products for human use, as amended by Directives 2002/98/EC 2 , 2004/24/EC 3 and 2004/27/EC 4 of the European Parliament and of the Council;

‘dispensing pharmacy’ means a shop being lawfully kept open for the dispensing or compounding of medical prescriptions under the Pharmacy Acts 1875 to 1977 and includes the pharmaceutical department of a hospital;

‘EEA Agreement’ means the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed in Oporto on 2 May 1992 as adjusted by the Protocol to that Agreement done at Brussels on 17 March 1993 5 ;

‘EEA State’ means a State which is a contracting party to the EEA Agreement;

‘European Economic Area’ means the European Economic Area created by the EEA Agreement;

‘exempt sourced medicinal product’ means an exempt medicinal product that is either imported from another EEA State or is sourced in the State from the holder of a manufacturer’s authorisation;

‘exempt medicinal product’ means a medicinal product to which paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the Medicinal Products (Control of Placing on the Market) Regulations 2007, or any equivalent legislation in any EEA State other than the State, applies;

‘herbal medicinal product’ means any medicinal product, exclusively containing as active ingredients one or more herbal substances or one or more herbal preparations, or one or more such herbal substances in combination with one or more such herbal preparations;

‘herbal preparations’ mean preparations obtained by subjecting herbal substances to treatments such as extraction, distillation, expression, fractionation, purification, concentration or fermentation. These include comminuted or powdered herbal substances, tinctures, extracts, essential oils, expressed juices and processed exudates;

‘herbal substances’ mean all mainly whole, fragmented or cut plants, plant parts, algae, fungi, lichen in an unprocessed, usually dried, form, but sometimes fresh. Certain exudates that have not been subjected to a specific treatment are also considered to be herbal substances. Herbal substances are precisely defined by the plant part used and the botanical name according to the binomial system (genus, species, variety and author);

‘homeopathic medicinal product’ means any medicinal product, which may contain a number of principles, prepared from substances called homeopathic stocks in accordance with a homeopathic manufacturing procedure described by the European Pharmacopoeia or, in the absence thereof, by the pharmacopoeias currently used officially in an EEA State. The term also includes anthroposophic medicinal products described in an official pharmacopoeia and prepared by a homeopathic method;

‘manufacturer’s authorisation’ means an authorisation granted and in force in pursuance of Regulation 8 of the Medicinal Products (Control of Manufacture) Regulations 2007 ( S.I. No. 539 of 2007 );

‘marketing authorisation’ means an authorisation which is for the time being in force and which has been granted by the Board under the Medicinal Products (Control of Placing on the Market) Regulations 2007 or by the Commission under Regulation (EEC) No. 2309/93 6 or Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 7 and includes a marketing authorisation issued by the competent authority of an EEA State, other than the State, in accordance with the 2001 Directive;

‘Minister’ means the Minister for Health and Children;

‘pharmacist’ means a registered pharmaceutical chemist, or a registered dispensing chemist and druggist, under the Pharmacy Acts 1875 to 1977;

‘pre-hospital emergency care provider’ has the same meaning as in the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (Establishment) Order 2000, as amended by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (Establishment) Order 2000 (Amendment) Order 2004 ( S.I. No. 575 of 2004 );’

‘registered dentist’ means a person registered in the register established under the Dentists Act 1985 (No. 9 of 1985);

‘registered dispensing optician’ means a person registered in the register of dispensing opticians established under the Opticians Acts 1956 and 2003;

‘registered medical practitioner’ means a person registered in the register established under the Medical Practitioners Act 1978 (No. 4 of 1978);

‘registered optometrist’ means a person registered in the Register of Optometrists established under the Opticians Acts 1956 to 2003;

‘registered veterinary practitioner’ means a person registered in the register established under the Veterinary Practice Act 2005 (No. 22 of 2005);

‘responsible person’ means the person referred to in paragraph 6 of Schedule 2;

‘sale by wholesale’ means sale or supply for the purposes of sale in the course of a business or for administration to patients in the course of a professional practice and cognate words shall be construed accordingly. Such term shall also include all activities consisting of the procuring, holding or exporting of medicinal products other than activities involving the sale or supply of such products to the public;

‘traditional herbal medicinal product’ means a herbal medicinal product that satisfies the conditions specified in Article 16a of the 2001 Directive;

‘wholesaler’s authorisation’ means an authorisation which is for the time being in force and which has been granted by the Board in pursuance of Regulation 9.

Requirement for authorisation to sell medicinal products by wholesale

5.

Subject to the provisions of these Regulations, a person shall not sell by wholesale, or offer or keep for sale by wholesale, any medicinal product unless he or she is the holder of a wholesaler’s authorisation.

Exemptions

6.

The provisions of Regulation 5 shall not apply to—

Application for a wholesaler’s authorisation

7.

(1) An application for the grant of a wholesaler’s authorisation shall—

Consideration of application for a wholesaler’s authorisation

8.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this regulation, the Board shall consider a valid application for a wholesaler’s authorisation and grant or refuse to grant an authorisation within a period not exceeding 90 days from the date the application is received.

Grant or refusal of wholesaler’s authorisation

9.

(1) The Board shall grant a wholesaler’s authorisation only if—

specified in the application made pursuant to Regulation 7.

the Board shall give the applicant a notice in writing stating in detail the reasons on which its decision is based.

Application and effect of wholesaler’s authorisation

10.

A wholesaler’s authorisation shall apply only in relation to—

specified in the application made pursuant to Regulation 7 and in respect of which the authorisation has been granted.

Obligations of wholesalers of medicinal products

11.

Subject to the provisions of these Regulations, an authorisation holder shall not sell by wholesale any medicinal product except in accordance with the requirements set down in Schedule 2 and any further conditions or obligations as may be imposed in the authorisation.

Variation of wholesaler’s authorisation

12.

(1) The Board may vary a wholesaler’s authorisation, whether on the application of the authorisation holder or otherwise.

in respect of which the authorisation has been granted, may vary or refuse to vary the authorisation within a period not exceeding 30 days from the date the application is received;

the Board shall notify the holder of that authorisation in writing, stating in detail the reasons on which its decision is based.

Suspension and revocation of wholesaler’s authorisation

13.

(1) The Board may by a notice in writing to the authorisation holder, forthwith or from a date specified in the notice, suspend the authorisation for such period as the Board may determine, or revoke the authorisation, on one or more of the following grounds—

Particular Enforcement Obligations

14.

Whether acting through authorised officers appointed under section 32B of the Act or in any other way, and without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of the Act, the Board shall in particular investigate the following:

Transitional provisions

15.

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), any wholesaler’s licence granted under Regulation 7(1) of the Medical Preparations (Wholesale Licences) Regulations 1993 (as amended) and in force on the coming into force of these Regulations, shall continue in force until the date of expiry of such licence, as if granted as a wholesaler’s authorisation under these Regulations.

Regulation 7(3)

SCHEDULE 1 PARTICULARS THAT MUST ACCOMPANY AN APPLICATION FOR A WHOLESALER’S AUTHORISATION

1.

The name and address of the applicant, and, where the applicant is not the proposed holder of the wholesaler’s authorisation, the name and address of the proposed holder.

2.

A statement of the operations to which the wholesaler’s authorisation is to relate.

3.

A description of the medicinal products in respect of which the authorisation is required.

4.

(1) The address of each of the premises where the proposed holder of the wholesaler’s authorisation proposes to store medicinal products or from which he or she proposes to distribute them.

5.

(1) The name and address and degrees, diplomas or qualifications and experience of the person who will carry out the functions of the responsible person.

6.

An outline of the arrangements at each of the premises where the holder of the wholesaler’s authorisation stores or proposes to store medicinal products for ensuring, so far as practicable, whether by maintaining records or other means, a satisfactory rotation of stocks of medicinal products.

(Regulation 11)

SCHEDULE 2 REQUIREMENTS TO BE MET BY THE AUTHORISATION HOLDER

1.

In this Schedule, the term ‘marketing authorisation’ includes a certificate of registration and a certificate of traditional-use registration.

2.

The authorisation holder shall obtain his or her supplies of medicinal products only from persons—

3.

(1) Subject to subparagraph (2) and paragraph 17, the authorisation holder shall not sell by wholesale any medicinal product—

4.

The authorisation holder shall only sell medicinal products by wholesale to persons—

5.

The authorisation holder shall provide and maintain such staff, premises, installations, equipment and procedures for the handling, storage and distribution of the medicinal products that he or she handles, stores or distributes under his or her authorisation, as are necessary to avoid deterioration of the products and he or she shall not use for such purposes premises other than those specified in his or her authorisation.

6.

(1) The authorisation holder shall at all times have at his or her disposal the services of a responsible person who possesses in the opinion of the Board:

and has notified the authorisation holder accordingly in writing, the holder shall not permit that person to continue to act as the responsible person so long as the said notification has not been withdrawn by the Board.

7.

The authorisation holder shall notify the Board of any proposed structural alteration to, or discontinuation of use of, premises to which the authorisation relates or premises that have been approved from time to time by the Board.

8.

(1) The authorisation holder shall keep available for inspection by officers of the Board, for a period of not less than five years, records giving for each transaction in respect of medicinal products received or dispatched at least the following information:

— the date of receipt or supply,

— the name of the medicinal product,

— the quantity received or supplied, and

— the name and address of the supplier or consignee, as appropriate.

9.

The authorisation holder shall have an emergency plan which will ensure the effective implementation of any recall from the market of any such product, or batch thereof, that may be ordered by the Board or carried out in cooperation with the manufacturer or holder of the marketing authorisation for the medicinal product concerned.

10.

The authorisation holder, in making a sale by wholesale to persons referred to in paragraph 4(d) and (e), shall enclose with the medicinal product a document that makes it possible for such persons to ascertain:

— the date on which the sale took place,

— the name and pharmaceutical form of the product supplied,

— the quantity of the product supplied, and

— the name and address of the supplier and consignor.

11.

The authorisation holder shall, in respect of a medicinal product that has actually been placed on the market in the State and within the limits of his or her responsibility, ensure appropriate and continued supplies of that product to the persons referred to in paragraph 4(d) and (e), so that the needs of patients in the State in respect of such medicinal product are covered.

12.

The authorisation holder, if he or she proposes to import from another EEA State a medicinal product in respect of which he or she is not the holder of the relevant marketing authorisation, or is not acting on behalf of such a person, shall notify the holder of the marketing authorisation concerned and the Board, of his or her intention to import the product.

13.

The authorisation holder shall comply with the principles and guidelines of good distribution practice for medicinal products 8 published by the Commission under Article 84 of the 2001 Directive.

8 OJ No. C 63, 01.03.1994, p.4.

14.

The authorisation holder shall, on being informed by the Board or by the holder of the marketing authorisation, that any batch of any medicinal product to which the wholesaler’s authorisation relates, has been found not to conform as regards the provisions of the relevant marketing authorisation, or as regards the strength, quality or purity with the appropriate specification for that product, if so directed, immediately withhold such batch from sale or exportation, and if so directed by the Board, insofar as may be reasonably practicable, immediately withdraw from sale any supplies of that batch held by him or her and immediately recall all supplies already sold or distributed from that batch.

15.

The authorisation holder shall, on being informed by the Board that a medicinal product to which the wholesaler’s authorisation relates, has been found to give rise to concerns in regard to its safety or efficacy, if so directed by the Board, immediately withhold such product from sale, supply or exportation and insofar as may be reasonably practicable, immediately recall all supplies already sold or distributed by him or her.

16.

16.

The authorisation holder shall permit at all reasonable times such inspections, by officers of the Board, as may be required to satisfy the Board that the conditions of the authorisation are being complied with.

17.

17.

(1) Where and insofar as the wholesaler’s authorisation relates to an exempt sourced medicinal products, the authorisation holder shall only source such products—

‘common name’ means the international non-proprietary name, or, if one does not exist, the usual common name;

‘international non-proprietary name’ means the international non-proprietary name recommended by the World Health Organisation; and

‘monograph name’ means the name or approved synonym which appears at the head of a monograph in the current edition of the European Pharmacopoeia, the British Pharmacopoeia, or a foreign or international compendium of standards and ‘current’ in this definition means current at the time the notice is sent to the Board.

(Regulations 9(4), 12(6) and 13(3))

SCHEDULE 3 PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO PROPOSALS TO GRANT OTHERWISE THAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPLICATION, PROPOSALS TO REFUSE TO GRANT OR VARY, AND PROPOSALS TO SUSPEND, VARY OR REVOKE A WHOLESALER’S AUTHORISATION.

1.

In this Schedule—

‘authorisation’ means a wholesaler’s authorisation; and

‘time allowed’ means the period of 28 days or such extended period as the Board may in any particular case allow.

2.

Subject to paragraph 6, if the Board proposes—

the Board shall notify the applicant or authorisation holder accordingly.

3.

Any notification given under paragraph 2 shall include—

4.

A person to whom notification has been given under paragraph 2 may, within the time allowed after the notification was given, give notice to the Board of his or her wish to do so, and make representations to the Board with respect to the decision or proposal referred to in the notification.

5.

The Board shall, after consideration of the representations, decide whether to grant the authorisation, revoke, vary or suspend the authorisation or confirm or alter its decision, as the case may be.

6.

(1) Paragraph 2 shall not apply to the suspension of an authorisation where it appears to the Board that, in the interests of safety, it is necessary to suspend the authorisation with immediate effect for a period not exceeding 3 months.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

20 July 2007

MARY HARNEY

Minister for Health and Children

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

The main purpose of these Regulations is to implement TITLE VII of Directive 2001/83/EC (as amended by Directive 2004/27/EC) relating to the wholesale distribution of medicinal products for human use. The Regulations also consolidate and update the existing Regulations, which they replace.

Footnotes

1

OJ L. 311, 28.11.2001, p.67.

2

OJ L. 33, 08.02.2002, p.30.

3

OJ L. 136, 30.04.2004, p.85.

4

OJ L. 136, 30.4.2004, p.34.

5

OJ No. L 1, 03.01.1994, p.572.

6

OJ No. L.214, 24.08.1993, p.1

7

OJ No. L 136, 30.04.2004, p. 1.

8

OJ No. C 63, 01.03.1994, p.4.

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