Seven Years of Continuous Operation
On 9 February 2019, the EMVS went live. On 9 February 2026, we mark seven years of continuous operation securing the pharmaceutical supply chain and protecting patient safety across Europe.
The EMVS is unique. The past 7 years have seen the successful management of a large-scale, pan-European, innovative system, designed to prevent falsified medicines from reaching patients. This is the first of its kind and the work of EMVO and every National Medicines Verification Organisation (NMVO) has been crucial in enabling end-to-end verification of prescription medicine packs through unique identifiers and interoperable national and European systems.
Since its launch, the EMVS has connected 28 national systems across Europe and brought together pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, hospitals, and national authorities. This operation demonstrates that protecting patients at scale is only possible through sustained collaboration across the entire medicines supply chain.
At its core, we see every day that the EMVS is a shared platform of trust. It supports and reinforces the work of organisations combatting falsification, encouraging effective cooperation with law enforcement and competent authorities, and strengthens public health protection by allowing real-time verification, data exchange, and coordinated action.
This collaborative approach is also reflected beyond the EMVS itself. In 2025, the European Medicines Verification Organisation was accepted as an observer to the @MEDICRIME Convention. This creates a new bridge between efforts addressing criminal activity outside the regulated supply chain and the EMVS’s role in protecting patients within it, reinforcing shared understanding, cooperation, and impact.
Thank you to all organisations, end users, and partners contributing to seven years of safer medicines for people across Europe