Newly Published Material From HDA and C4SCS

I was on vacation last week and only arrived home Sunday evening so I didn’t have time to write an essay for Monday, but this is Tuesday!  Near the end of last month there was a spike in the number of things that need to be covered in RxTrace.  Two of them are important things from HDA and the Center For Supply Chain Studies.  I’ve been waiting for both for months, and here they are.

HDA:  UPDATE ON THE VERIFICATION ROUTER SERVICE

HDA published an update on the progress of their development of the Verification Router Service (VRS).  I’m a member of the group that is working on the overall VRS architecture but I can’t really provide the kind of information that HDA has published because it would be inside information.  So I was very happy when Justine Freisleben, Senior Director, Industry Relations at HDA posted “Verification Router Service Progress Update” on the HDA blog.  You can read my earlier essays about the VRS concept here, here and here.

C4SCS:  THE DRUG SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY ACT AND BLOCKCHAIN

I was also a member of the Center For Supply Chain Studies DSCSA and Blockchain study group, and I’ve been waiting for the organization to publish this important white paper for months.  It was worth the wait.  If you are already familiar with the basic requirements of the DSCSA, you will find this paper very easy to read, but very informative at the same time.  If you are not already familiar with the basic requirements, this paper will help you understand the complex issues facing the industry when the Enhanced Drug Distribution Security (EDDS) phase begins on November 27, 2023.  That’s when the entire industry must finally begin to use the serial number data for daily supply chain operations.

This paper analyzes multiple possibilities for using blockchain technology to meet the more challenging requirements.  It’s also an excellent tutorial in blockchain, as it might be applied to the specific problems brought about by the EDDS.  If blockchain is eventually used to solve any part of the DSCSA, I believe this paper will point the way.  For that reason, you need to get a copy of it.  You can read my earlier essays about blockchain and its potential use for meeting the DSCSA here, here, here and here.

Dirk.