Health minister aims to tighten penalties for illegal export of medicines

Health Minister Vlastimil Válek says his ministry is preparing an amendment to the law that would  tighten the penalties for illegal export of medicines and make it possible to revoke the license of pharmacies who repeatedly break the rules. Czech Radio’s investigative team recently uncovered that hundreds of millions worth of medicines are being exported abroad illegally by pharmacies because it is financially lucrative for them to do so. This has acerbated the shortage of many medicines due to problems with supply chains and manufacturers in Asia. Pharmacies still lack many basic medicines, including antibiotics, children's syrups and prescription medicines for digestive problems.