First Parallel imports hit French market

Five pharmaceutical products imported from Spain and Portugal and other European states will start arriving on the French pharmacy market in early 2007 - the first parallel imports to reach France since the government transposed a European directive on free circulation of goods into national law.

However, the consensus view appears to be that parallel imports into the country will remain fairly limited. The French health products regulatory agency, the Afssaps, has given its approval for the drug imports from Spain. Portugal, Greece and the UK through two drug distributors - Mediwin of the UK and Pharma Lab of France, a subsidiary of the French wholesale distributor CERP Lorraine.

The drugs in question are reported to be Pierre Fabre's Permixon (a liposterolic extract of the serenoa plant), a treatment for hypertrophy of the prostate, Tadenan (Pygeum africanum extract), also used for the same condition made by Solvay, Coversyl perindopril), an antihypertensive from Laboratoires Servier and Arimidex (anastrozole), Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca's breast cancer agent. Some dozens of other products are expected to be approved for import.