Medication imports
According to Article L.5124-13 and R.5121-108, and in accordance with the Public Health Code, doctors attached to sports teams during competitions taking place in France must obtain prior authorisation from the AFSSAPS regulatory body to permit importation of collective medication for treating competitors' current pathologies. :
The doctor responsible for keeping medication that may be prescribed to competitors in his sports team must submit a request for authorisation of importation in the form of a table on the sports federation's headed paper to Afssaps - Direction de l'Evaluation des Médicaments et Produits Biologiques (DEMB)- unité Autorisations d'importation.
- For the attention of Mme Nathalie HEDO (143/147 Boulevard Anatole France 93285 Saint-Denis Cedex) at least 8 weeks before arriving in France.
This request must include the following details :
- the name and address of the team doctor in the country of origin
- the name and address of the sports federation in France
- the list of medication to be imported signed, by the doctor, indicating for each medication:
1. its name,
2. the active ingredient(s), using the internationally approved name,
3. its pharmaceutical form,
4. its dose
5. its mode of administration
6. its therapeutic class
7. the quantity to be imported.
This list must be established in French or in English.
The list will then be sent by AFSSAPS to the Agence Française de lutte contre le dopage (French Anti-doping Agency) and to the Ministry for Health, Youth and Sports. The AFSSAPS only checks that there is no narcotic agents.
There are situations where the request for temporary authorisation for importation may be exempted according to the 2 following cases:
1. Medication possessed by athletes for their personal use : the athlete needs to transport this medication themself and to keep the medical prescription (dated less than 3 months previously) with them in order to present it on request to customs officials.
2. The emergency bag kept by athletes' doctors : this contains medication intended strictly for situations requiring immediate care. For narcotic drugs, only the doctor is authorised to transport them in his case, up to a limit of 10 units.
- Visit the Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé website
- Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé contacts: Nathalie HEDO or Franck AUGOUVERANAIRE tel :+33(0)155873638/3637 fax :+33(0)155873632- email nathalie.hedo@afssaps.santé.fr or frank.augouvernaire@afssaps.santé.fr
