[Cross-border medicines - database for professionals who provide pre-travel advice]

The international mass tourism and the development of affordable travel techniques, several groups of high-risk travelers have emerged: among them the most vulnerable ones are the multimorbid (usually older) people and travelers with pre-existing diseases. They need regular daily medication. However, the quantity of medicines that can be taken abroad and their active ingredients are strictly regulated. That’s why doctors and pharmacists who give pre-travel counselling must have up-to-date information in this area. However, the possibility of accessing the appropriate database and the (effective) use of this database are not widely known. In Europe, within the Schengen borders, the export and import of medicines are subject to homogeneous regulations, but the regulations vary outside of these countries. It is necessary to compile a database that provides information to doctors who prepare those travelers who take medication regularly. A database is needed which would help prescribing medication in accordance with the legislation, and with finding alternative medications instead of medication that cannot be transferred abroad. By surveying the available international and national databases and reviewing the existing regulations, the authors worked out a way to create a new database in addition to the database compiled by the authorities. The created database processes the data and regulations of 15 destinations most often chosen by Hungarian travelers. When compiling the medicine kit of travelers suffering from chronic diseases, the information of the created database is of primary importance, because taking unauthorized drugs abroad in the absence of the appropriate administrative conditions can have serious criminal consequences in addition to preventing the intake of the medicine. Therefore, doctors who provide travel advice must be familiar with the regulations, because an integral part of proper pre-travel advice is the prescription of the right amount of medication and the modification of medication according to the destination. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(20): 769–774.