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England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions >> Secretary Of State For Environment, Food & Rural Affairs v Crop Protection Association UK Ltd & Anor [2001] EWCA Civ 1656 (9 November 2001) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2001/1656.html Cite as: [2002] 1 CMLR 8, [2002] Eu LR 24, [2001] EWCA Civ 1656 |
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COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)
ON APPEAL FROM THE QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
(CROWN OFFICE)
(Mr Justice Richards)
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL Friday 9 November 2001 |
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B e f o r e :
LORD JUSTICE MANTELL
and
LORD JUSTICE LATHAM
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SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (formerly the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) acting by the executive agency THE PESTICIDES SAFETY DIRECTORATE |
Appellant |
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and |
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CROP PROTECTION ASSOCIATION UK LIMITED (formerly known as British Agrochemicals Association Limited) and NATIONAL FARMERS' UNION |
Respondent Intervener |
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Smith Bernal Reporting Limited, 190 Fleet Street
London EC4A 2AG
Tel No: 020 7421 4040, Fax No: 020 7831 8838
Official Shorthand Writers to the Court)
Mr David Pannick QC & Mr Tom de la Mare (instructed by Hammond Suddards & Edge of London EC2M 4YH) for the Respondent
Mr Mark Brealey & Miss Kelyn Bacon (instructed by Mr Robert Madge of Legal Dept., National Farmers' Union of London WC2H 8HL) for the Intervener
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Crown Copyright ©
LORD JUSTICE SIMON BROWN:
"For the purpose of these arrangements an imported product is deemed to be identical to a master product if
(i) the active ingredient in the imported product is manufactured by the same company (or by an associated undertaking or under licence ) as the active ingredient of the UK master product and is the same within variations accepted by the registration authority;
and
(ii) the formulation of the imported product is produced by the same company (or by an associated undertaking under licence) as that of the UK master product and any differences in the nature, quality and quantity of the components are deemed by the registration authority to have no material effect on the safety of humans, domestic animals, livestock, wildlife or the environment generally or on efficacy."
"Paragraph 3(a) of the 1994 Control Arrangements is unlawful as being in breach of Directive 91/414 because it purports to allow for parallel importing even though (a) the active ingredient of the imported product is not the same (both as to nature and percentage) as that of the master approved product (within the tolerances permitted for the master approved product) and (b) the formulation of the imported product is not the same in every respect as that of the master approved product."
(i) De Peijper [1976] ECR 613
"21. it is clearly unnecessary, in order to protect the health and life of humans, for the authorities to require a second trader who has imported a medicinal preparation which is in every respect the same, to produce the particulars [the pharmaceutical particulars necessary to check that the medicinal preparation is effective and not harmful] to them again.
26. National authorities possess legislative and administrative methods capable of compelling the manufacturer or his duly appointed representative to supply particulars making it possible to ascertain that the medicinal preparation which is in fact the subject of parallel importation is identical with the medicinal preparation in respect of which they are already informed.
33. By the second question the Court is asked to say whether in principle the answer which must be given to the first question also applies to the case where (a) the process of manufacture and the qualitative and quantitative composition of the medicinal preparation imported by the parallel importer coming from another Member State are different from those of the medicinal preparation bearing the same name and in respect of which the authorities of the Member State into which it has been imported already have these data but (b) 'the differences between the one and the other product are of such minor importance that it is likely that the manufacturer is applying or introducing these differences with the conscious and exclusive intention of using these differences in order to prevent or impede the possibility of the parallel importation of the proprietary medicinal product.'
36. It is only if the documents produced in this way show that there are differences which have a therapeutic effect that there would be any justification for treating the variants as different medicinal preparations, for the purposes of authorising them to be placed on the market and as regards producing the relevant documents, it being understood that the answer to the first question remains valid as regards each of the authorisation procedures which have become necessary."
(ii) R v Medicines Control Agency ex parte Smith & Nephew [1996] ECR 1-5819
"22. the effect of the court's judgment in De Peijper [1976] ECR 613, paragraphs 21 and 36, stated that, if the public health authorities of the Member State of importation already have in their possession, as a result of importation on a previous occasion, all the pharmaceutical particulars relating to the medicinal product in question and considered to be absolutely necessary for the purpose of checking that the product is effective and not harmful, it is clearly unnecessary, in order to protect the health and life of humans, for those authorities to require a second trader who has imported a medicinal product which is in every respect the same or whose differences have no therapeutic effect, to produce these particulars again.
26. The competent authority in the Member State of importation must also verify that the two proprietary medicinal products, if not identical in all respects, have at least been manufactured according to the same formulation, using the same active ingredient, and that they also have the same therapeutic effects.
32. Consequently, when the competent authority of a Member State concludes that a proprietary medicinal product covered by a marketing authorisation in another Member State and a proprietary medicinal product for which it has already issued a marketing authorisation are manufactured by independent companies pursuant to agreements concluded with the same licensor and that those two products, although not identical in all respects, have at least been manufactured according to the same formulation, using the same active ingredient, and that they also have the same therapeutic effects, it must treat the imported product as being covered by the latter marketing authorisation unless there are countervailing considerations relating to the effective protection to the life and health of humans. "
"I am far from satisfied that, even if I was the judge of fact, there would be any material difference between them, and I am far from satisfied that it has any therapeutic relevance."
The parallel import should therefore have been permitted.
(iii) BAA
"25. The government takes the view that the Member States must adopt the definition of identicality laid down by the court in De Peijper [1976] ECR 613.
26. In that connection it should be borne in mind that in De Peijper the court held, at paragraphs 21 and 36, in the context of articles 30 and 36 of the EEC Treaty, that it is clearly unnecessary, in order to protect the health and life of humans, to require a second trader who has imported a medicinal preparation which is in every respect the same or displays differences which have no therapeutic effect, to produce particulars again.
27. Furthermore, in Smith & Nephew the court considered that [the relevant Directive] could not apply to a proprietary medicinal product covered by marketing authorisation in one Member State and imported into another Member State as a parallel import of a proprietary medicinal product already covered by marketing authorisation in the latter Member State, since that imported product cannot, in such a case, be regarded as being placed on the market for the first time in the Member State of importation.
28. It went on to explain, in paragraph 25 and 26 of that judgment, that the competent authority and the Member State of importation must verify that the two proprietary medicinal products, which have a common origin by virtue of the fact that they are manufactured pursuant to agreements concluded with the same licensor, if not identical in all respects, have at least been manufactured according to the same formulation, using the same active ingredient, and have the same therapeutic effects.
29. That reasoning may be applied mutatis mutandis to the placing of plant protection products on the market.
33. It is important that the competent authority should verify, apart from the existence of a common origin, that the two plant protection products, if not identical in all respects, have at least been manufactured according to the same formulation, using the same active ingredient, and also have the same effect with due regard, in particular, to differences which may exist in conditions relating to agriculture, plant health and the environment, in particular climatic conditions, relevant to the use of the product.
40. Accordingly, it must be held, on the same grounds as those mentioned at paragraph 33 above, that, where the competent authority of a Member State finds that a plant protection product imported from an EEA State in which it is already covered by marketing authorisation granted in accordance with the Directive, if not identical in all respects to a product already authorised within the Member State of importation, at least
(a) shares a common origin with that product in that it has been manufactured by the same company or by an associated undertaking or licence according to the same formulation,
(b) was manufactured using the same active ingredient, and
(c) also has the same effect with due regard to differences which may exist in conditions relating to agriculture, plant health and the environment, in particular climatic conditions, relevant to the use of the products,
that product must be able to benefit from the marketing authorisation already granted in the Member State of importation, unless that is precluded by consideration concerning the protection of human and animal health and of the environment." (The lettering (a), (b) and (c) in paragraph 40 is mine, included for convenience)
(iv) Zimovane
"43. Although, as the United Kingdom government has submitted, differences in the excipients used in medicinal products do not normally have any effect on safety, it is not disputed that such effects can exist. It is possible for a medicinal product imported as a parallel import, which contains the same active ingredients and has the same therapeutic effect but does not use the same excipients as the medicinal product which is the subject of the marketing authorisation in the Member State of importation, to show significant differences from the authorised product in terms of safety, given that modifications to the formulation of a medicinal product in respect of the excipients may have an effect on the shelf-life and the bioavailability of the product, for example in relation to the rates at which the medicinal product dissolves or is absorbed that does not use the same excipients
44. However, the possibility of such effects on safety does not mean that as a consequence of differences relating to the excipients used the national authorities may never resort to simplified procedures for the licences granted to parallel importers.
45. The national authorities are required to authorise, in accordance with the rules relating to parallel imports, a medicinal product imported as a parallel product where they are convinced that that product, in spite of differences relating to the excipients, does not pose a problem for public health. Accordingly, the competent authorities of the Member State of importation must ensure, at the time of import and on the basis of information in their possession, that the medicinal product is imported as a parallel product, even if not identical in all respects to that already authorised by them, has the same active ingredient and the same therapeutic effect and does not pose a problem of quality, efficacy or safety (see, to that effect, British Agrochemicals Association [1999] ECR I-1499, paragraph 40)."
1. "The language of the [ECJ's] judgment is clear and is twice repeated [in paragraphs 33 and 40]. Further, in each passage the condition as to manufacture according to the same formulation is expressed separately from the condition as to effects ('and also have the same effect ') which, in itself, tells strongly against reading the former condition as being subject to an implied qualification concerning the effects of any differences." (paragraph 30)
2. "BAA had submitted to the ECJ that the precise formulation of an agrochemical product can make a very considerable difference to its safety and efficacy. In the light of those submissions one should be slow to conclude that the ECJ's choice of words is other than deliberate and careful; and one should be particularly slow to read in a significant qualification to the chosen words." (paragraph 31)
4. "The ECJ conspicuously failed to adopt the Advocate-General's proposed ruling that 'The products are also identical if the differences found are negligible with regard to the therapeutic efficacy, the safety and quality of the imported product under consideration'". (paragraphs 32 and 33)
5. "It may be that the ECJ has erred on the side of caution in requiring that the imported product be manufactured to the same formulation as the master product. But in the context of the Directive one can readily understand why the view was taken that, where differences exist in formulation, their implications should not be left to the broad discretion of the competent authority but should be determined in accordance with the rigorous procedures laid down by the Directive." (paragraph 35)
"Do the criteria for parallel importing of a plant protection product under Directive 91/414 include a requirement that the product must have the same formulation as the master approved product where the competent national authority is satisfied/convinced that any differences in formulation have no significant effect on the environment, health, safety or efficacy?"
i) A central difficulty with what I may call the literalist approach adopted by Richards J is that it appears to render redundant other parts of the BAA ruling in paragraph 40. If the parallel import has to be manufactured not only "using the same active ingredient" (condition (b)) but also "according to the same [in the literal sense] formulation (condition (a)), what room is there both for the premise of the entire ruling, namely that the import be "not identical in all respects", but in addition for condition (c) (that it "also has the same effect")? I have difficulty with Mr Pannick's suggestion that these further provisions are explicable by reference to the products' packaging (not, I think, encompassed within the Article 1(i) definition of product), storage history or shelf-life. Nor do I accept Mr Pannick's riposte that on the appellants' approach condition (c) is no less (if not, indeed, more) plainly otiose. I prefer instead Mr Parker's submission that condition (a) requires the product merely to be the same in all material respects: condition (c), usefully identifies what those material respects are.ii) The ECJ in Zimovane (a full court of nine comprising not merely the President and three Chambers' Presidents, but also three members of the Chamber of five which decided BAA) appears clearly to have understood the BAA ruling (or at least intended it to be understood) in the sense contended for by the appellants. Having stated in paragraph 45 of Zimovane that what is required of the parallel import is that it "has the same active ingredient and the same therapeutic effect and does not pose a problem of quality, efficacy or safety", the court expressly then referred to paragraph 40 of BAA as being "to that effect". It appears, indeed, that the argument advanced by Mr Pannick before us was put to the court in Zimovane and rejected.
iii) With those first two reasons in mind I have little difficulty in accepting the main thrust of Mr Parker's argument on construction which is to the effect that, wherever throughout the case law one finds reference to "the same formulation" (for example, in paragraph 26 of Smith & Nephew), this falls to be understood as a reference to a formulation which is either "in every respect the same or whose differences have no therapeutic effect" see paragraph 22 of Smith & Nephew. Only thus is it possible to harmonise the passages quoted from each of the four authorities, either internally or between the various cases.
iv) There is no warrant for Mr Pannick's suggestion that the court's ruling in Zimovane is dependent upon the particular facts of that case, nor can I accept his submssion that there are significant differences between pesticides and pharmaceuticals which make it appropriate to have a stricter parallel import regime for the former than the latter. As already stated, the ECJ has throughout treated the two types of product in the same way (see, for example, paragraph 29 of BAA and, indeed, paragraph 31 of Richards J's judgment below); and indeed the respondents' own argument to the ECJ in BAA, in the addendum dealing with that court's recent judgment in Smith & Nephew, was put no higher than that the need for strictness "is at least as important for agrochemicals as pharmaceuticals." True, of course, there are differences between the two products; but I am persuaded by Mr Parker's submission that the PSD as the competent authority has the means to determine under the simplified procedures whether the parallel import of a pesticide is materially different from the master approved product so as adequately to protect the interests of health, safety and the environment see, for example, paragraphs 15-17, 21(a), 26 and 27 of De Peijper, 22, 27 and 28 of Smith & Nephew, 34 of BAA, and 46 of Zimovane (not all of which I have thought it necessary to set out).
v) It necessarily follows from this that to require literally the same formulation for the parallel import would be wholly disproportionate to the needs of safety and thus an unjustified restraint on trade, contrary to articles 28 and 30 (originally 30 and 36) of the Treaty. This, I may note, is the view of the European Commission itself which, because of the restrictive arrangements put in place following Richards J's order, is now threatening the U.K. within infraction proceedings under Article 226 of the Treaty.
LORD JUSTICE MANTELL:
LORD JUSTICE LATHAM: