You can report any reasonable suspicion of non-compliant medicinal products, blood, tissue or medical devices, as well as new, alternative therapies. The following information is helpful for further investigation of the facts:

• Which potentially illegal medicines, blood, tissue or medical devices were used in your treatment? Appearance, packaging and price if possible please indicate or describe.
• When, where and by whom was the new, alternative therapy carried out? Which potentially illegal drugs, blood, tissue or medical devices were used in the context of the novel, alternative therapy (e.g. stem cells)? Please describe the procedure and indicate the price of the new, alternative therapy if possible.
• When, where and from whom was the possibly illegal drug, blood, tissue or medical device obtained? Please describe appearance, packaging and price if possible. If you still have residues of the drug, blood, tissue or medical product, you can send them to us for analysis.

You can report your suspicion to us via mail or email.

• Mail address: enforcement@basg.gv.at
• Postal address:

Federal Office for Safety in Health Care, Institut Überwachung - Enforcement, Traisengasse 5, 1200 Wien

The first step is an initial assessment of the risk posed by the suspect case reported. All relevant facts are then collected and a detailed risk assessment prepared. Subsequently, a decision is taken together with a management committee as to whether further investigations should be carried out on the basis of the identified risk potential. Further investigations may include on-site inspections and sampling, if required. These or submitted drug samples are forwarded to the Austrian Drug Control Laboratory (OMCL) for detailed analysis. The conclusion of the investigation procedure is usually a report to the competent criminal authority.

The employees of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety and the Federal Office for Safety in Health Care are subject to official secrecy. No information about the status or outcome of the proceedings can be passed on to you. However, you can be sure that every suspicious case (SAR - Serious Adverse Reaction) will be investigated conscientiously.

The purchase of prescription-free medicines via registered distance selling pharmacies (=Internet pharmacies), recognisable by the uniform safety logo, is possible without danger. A list of all Austrian distance selling pharmacies can be found on the BASG homepage.