Pharmacology

Greece's anti-smoking law is heavy in symbolism. The law, which banned smoking in indoor public places and introduced stiff fines, was introduced several times before being finally implemented in practice.

The president of the EOF, Dimitris Filippou, "foresees" the normalization of the drug market in the next ten days, as he stated on ERT channel on Monday.

The problem of the lack of medicines in the Greek market has reached explosive proportions, resulting in an acute social problem and insecurity prevailing among thousands of patients.

A Turkish scientist has invented a capsule of the size of a chickpea, which typically helps in diagnosing diseases in the digestive system when swallowed, enabling an easier endoscopy procedure.

"This is a brand-new technology," Rabia Tuğçe Yazıcıgil, working in a lab affiliated with the Boston University in the U.S., told daily Hürriyet on Aug. 3.

The goal is to ensure that they are fairly distributed around the world, the business daily "Handelsblatt" reported.

The National Transparency Authority shot down attempts to open "smokers clubs" across Greece, saying the law is clear about the universal ban of smoking and warning of repercussions if they flout it.

Ahead of Tuesday's scheduled launch of a new action plan to crack down on smoking in public places, a joint ministerial decision has stipulated the new range of stiffer penalties that transgressors are to face.

The government is currently drafting a joint ministerial decision ensuring stricter fines for violations of the anti-smoking law which will officially go into effect on November 19.
The fines currently in place were introduced a decade ago when the first anti-smoking legislation was passed into law and are not considered tough enough by authorities.

Lawmakers on Tuesday will be voting on the government's new law for clamping down on smoking in public, which also introduces stricter bans and stiffer fines than the previous, much-flouted legislation.

If the Health Ministry draft bill is ratified, as expected, the new law will go into effect the following day.

A Health Ministry draft law that is under public consultation until Wednesday seeks to further strengthen Greece's much-flouted ban on smoking in indoor public areas by expanding its scope and enlisting the help of the police.