Three Years of Heat and Light

I published my first essay on RxTrace three years ago on July 4, 2009 (see “Welcome to rxTrace”).  It took just two days after that first essay became visible on the internet before people were finding it through search engines and Google Alerts, a remarkable feature of self-publishing.  Since then I have published over a hundred essays on a wide range of topics exploring the intersection between the pharmaceutical supply chain, track and trace technology, standards and regulatory compliance.

This past year the number of people reading RxTrace regularly have more than doubled (see “The Abrupt Surge of Interest in Serialization and ePedigree Topics”).  That is a reflection of the steady march of time toward the effective dates of the California Pedigree law and other serialization mandates around the world, but it is also, I hope, a reflection of the type of writing about these subjects and perspectives that you can’t find anywhere else.

This year the most popular essay was “How Counterfeit Avastin Penetrated the U.S. Supply Chain”, which is the first essay to topple the popularity of “The Florida Pedigree Law” which was my seventh essay, by the way, and which came in second this year.  Third most read this year was “Anatomy of a GTIN”, one of my favorites.  Fourth was “What If RxTEC Isn’t Adopted?”, a reflection of the uncertainty that was occurring in the industry before the Congress finally passed the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) without any track and trace provisions.

The fifth most popular essay was “RFID is DEAD…at Unit-Level in Pharma”, a perennial favorite from 2010 because it explains so clearly why RFID won’t be adopted at unit-level in pharma anytime soon unless it is mandated.  Next was “Anatomy Of The National Drug Code”, an essay that sheds light on some of the history and the inner-workings of the NDC.  Next was “The Surprise Consequence of the California Pedigree Law” which explored the surprising link between the California pedigree law and the Florida Pedigree law.  Next was “Why NOW Is The Time To Move Away From Linear Barcodes”, an essay that explains why all companies should stop buying barcode readers that are only capable of reading linear barcodes.

Next most popular was “So a customer demands that you use GLN’s and GTIN’s. What next?”, an essay from my Sophomore year that provides some guidance for companies who are not familiar with the GS1 GLN and GTIN Sunrise programs for the pharma supply chain.  Rounding out the top 10 was “InBrief: FDA To Publish Track & Trace Standard By Year End”.

The next 10 essays in popularity were:

THE FUTURE OF RxTRACE

The future of RxTrace is bright.  I have some pretty exciting announcements that I am working on right now and will make public shortly.  Among other things, that will include a site design upgrade which I plan to begin rolling out in the coming weeks.  Entire new topic areas and perspectives will be opening up for me soon so watch for new expanded coverage of my traditional area of expertise in RxTrace.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the great dialog you have left in the comments.

Dirk.

2 thoughts on “Three Years of Heat and Light”

  1. Dirk,
    I found your essays very useful and enlightening. I have spoken on similar topics at several SAP related topics and your material certainly helped back up what is being said in the industry and often you share new and fresh thoughts on the topics. I enjoy that. Please keep up the excellent service.
    Kevin

  2. Hi, Dirk,

    Congratulations on the three-year anniversary! Your blog is a big help to me when I explore the intricacies in pharmaceutical track-and-trace and develop our technology accordingly. The top essays you mentioned are my favorites, too. I am looking forward to more excellent essays in the coming years. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

    Zhong

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