Yearly Archives: 2017

DSCSA

Can Anyone Buy Non-Serialized Drugs After 11-27-2019?

Image of a package of non-serialized drugsWell over a year ago, my good friend Kevan MacKenzie, Director, Serialization Technology with McKesson, pointed out a really interesting discrepancy contained in the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) regarding the sale of non-serialized drugs.  I’ve been meaning to write about it since then.  The topic finally bubbled up to the top on my list.

What Kevan pointed out is that there are two sections of the DSCSA that contain slightly conflicting requirements.  This leaves companies Continue reading Can Anyone Buy Non-Serialized Drugs After 11-27-2019? →

DSCSA, GTIN, NDC

Sponsored: How To Properly Define GTINs For Your NDCs

Image showing relationships of define GTINs
Packaging Hierarchy. Drawing by Omega Design

RxTrace readers are well aware that the deadline is this November 27 for applying unique serial numbers within GS1 DataMatrix 2D barcodes to prescription drugs distributed in the United States under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).  Once that happens, most prescription drugs entering the U.S. supply chain will be identified by 14-digit GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN-14) for the first time (see “Anatomy of a GTIN”).  That’s because, you can’t fit the drug’s National Drug Code (NDC) along with the serial number, lot number and expiration date into a data matrix barcode, as required by the law, without first encoding it into a GTIN-14 (see “Anatomy Of The National Drug Code”, and “Depicting An NDC Within A GTIN”).  This fact forces companies to encode their NDCs into GTIN-14s, many for the first time. Continue reading Sponsored: How To Properly Define GTINs For Your NDCs →

DSCSA

DSCSA Serialization: What Wholesalers Expect

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Image of McKesson's sign on their corporate headquarters building in San Francisco, CARecently, several of the larger U.S. wholesale distributors have sent letters to their suppliers to review what they expect from them relative to the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).  You may recall that these companies have provided requirements in advance of earlier DSCSA deadlines (see “U.S. Drug Wholesale Distributors Provide Direction To Manufacturers“).  These expectations are aimed at the November 27, 2017 serialization requirements and beyond. Continue reading DSCSA Serialization: What Wholesalers Expect →

RxTrace

My Handshake With Germany

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image of my handshake offer to GermanyOur industry is international by nature.  Protecting patients from counterfeit drugs is partly a humanitarian mission and partly a business.  Consequently, I don’t worry much about who is looking for information on RxTrace.  I have happily fielded queries from Russia, China and even Iran, countries who are not always political “friends” of my beloved country. 

But what if a counterfeiter is seeking information Continue reading My Handshake With Germany →

EUDR, Randomization

Pharma Serial Number Randomization Under The Falsified Medicines Directive

Drug companies who serve markets within the European Union (EU) have until February 9, 2019 to add serial numbers within a Data Matrix barcode to their drug packages, among many other specific requirements (see “The ‘Unique Identifier’ in the EU Delegated Act”).  The specific requirements are outlined in the EU Delegated Regulation (EUDR).  I’ve written a lot about the EUDR over the last few years (see RxTrace: Delegated Regulation).  Today I want to highlight and explain a problem that may be brewing in the implementation of the system of repositories as established by the non-profit European Medicines Verification Organization (EMVO).  The potential problem is related to the way the EMVO Continue reading Pharma Serial Number Randomization Under The Falsified Medicines Directive →

Traceability

Sponsored: Pharma Traceability

May 22-24, Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado, CA

Pharmaceutical serialization and traceability laws continue to be developed all over the world.  In any one market, it takes several years to progress from the initial stirrings to the publication of full, workable regulations.  As we have seen, several countries have had to take a few steps back, make adjustments and then move forward again (see “Brazil Gets Rational With Their New Pharma Traceability Law” and “China’s Retreat From Pharma Serialization: Will This Become A Global Trend?”).  In fact, I think those countries that do, will end up with a much better approach.

What that means to you is Continue reading Sponsored: Pharma Traceability →

Russia, serialization

The Russia Serialization Pilot Guideline

The Russia Ministry of Health (MoH) is conducting a serialization and tracing pilot with a number of supply chain members between February 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 (see “Russia Begins Its Pharma Supply Chain Pilot”).  The MoH is due to publish an assessment of the pilot by next February 1st. 

Two weeks ago the Russian Minister of Health, Veroníka Skvortsova, signed the guidelines document for the pilot.  The 42-page document appears to be written as a pilot setup document, as opposed to Continue reading The Russia Serialization Pilot Guideline →

Labels

Sponsored: The Season For Label Redesign

With the approach of pharma serialization deadlines all around the world, this is the season for label redesign.  The addition of new unique identifiers in 2D barcodes and human readable forms—often without removing existing linear barcodes—requires knowledge of the pharma labeling regulations in the target markets as well as artwork skills (see “DSCSA: Label Artwork Heartaches”).  The problem is, serialization doesn’t apply to just one product, it applies to all prescription drugs marketed in the target market.  That threatens to cause Continue reading Sponsored: The Season For Label Redesign →