LZVO annual report: In 2020, the verification system operated stably, ensuring that patients received safe medicines

In 2020, the Latvian Medicines Verification Organisation (LZVO) has ensured the stable operation of the medicines verification system, so that all parties involved can perform verification of medicines and patients in Latvia receive only safe and authentic medicines. The time of the system's transactions complies with the requirements specified in regulatory enactments, and there have been no significant system interruptions during the whole year, according to the association's 2020 report.

During 2020, more than 4,770 different products and 117 million packages of medicines have been uploaded to the Latvian medicines verification system (LZVS). End users in Latvia – pharmacies and healthcare institutions – have already verified and decommissioned more than 22.5 million packages of medicines from the system.

User access to the Latvian medicines verification system is provided by two-stage authentication, i.e., password and certificate. The password must be renewed every 90 days, but the certificate – every 2 years. 60 days before the expiry of the certificate, a TAN number is sent to each end-user's contact person for the installation of a new certificate. Renewal of user security certificates started in 2020 and will continue in 2021, as most users connected to the system at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019. LZVO ensures expeditious renewal of certificates by advising customers, explaining system security requirements, and providing support in certificate upload.

The LZVO provides access to the system to the competent national authorities – the Health Inspectorate and the State Agency of Medicines – so that they can monitor and immediately investigate potential falsification incidents.

Considering the state of emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in Latvia in 2020, LZVO has assessed the risks and taken measures to mitigate them in order to ensure the continuity of the system. The association has also got acquainted with the business continuity plans implemented by the most important cooperation partners to guarantee continuous and secure operation of the system, as well as remote customer support.

Since 2019, the new European medicines verification system has been successfully operating in Latvia, as well as other 28 European countries. Its duty is to prevent the risk of falsified medicines being dispensed or sold to patients. LZVO has established medicines verification system in Latvia, which the association continues to maintain and manage. LZVS stores information on the safety features of medicines intended for the Latvian pharmaceutical market and allows to check the authenticity of medicines. Pharmacies, hospitals, wholesalers, medical institutions, and other persons who are allowed and entitled to supply medicines to the inhabitants in Latvia are obliged to establish an IT connection and connect to LZVS, as well as to perform verification and decommissioning of packages of medicines. Medicinal products are subject to safety verification throughout the whole supply chain.