EAHP is actively involved in a reflexion led by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe on the standards for pharmacy prepared medicinal products.

Professor Vagn Handlos, representing the association attended the initial project meeting in April 2008, invited Henk Scheepers at EAHP June 2009 general assembly to give delegates a thorough presentation on the status of European development in this field and informed the assembly of the steps undertaken by the Council of Europe to enhance the quality of magistrel preparations across Europe.

In September, EDQM organised a workshop in Strasbourg to further develop the project entitled ‘harmonisation of quality - and safety standards for small scale preparations in European pharmacies’. Professor Vagn Handlos was among the organisers and an active participant to the workshop as EAHP is a key stakeholder in the project. Based on a European survey ran by EDQM in the past months and its results, several conclusions were drawn and needed to be discussed after the September 2009 meeting in order to prepare suggestions for quality standards and thereby harmonising patient safety and quality issues concerning preparations in both pharmacies open to the public and on hospitals.

The next step will hopefuly be a resolution or a guidance document from the Council of Europe/EDQM concerning quality assurance and quality standards for small scale preparations in European pharmacies, reflecting what is going on hospital wards.

EAHP is sincerely thankful to Professor Vagn Handlos for demonstrating the instrumental role of the European hospital pharmacists in this standard making process.