The Coming Transition To Serialized Data

December 1, 2014 Dirk Rodgers 1 Comment

In less than one month the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) will require all sales of drugs in the U.S. pharma supply chain to be accompanied by some very specific data (see “FDA Publishes Draft Guidance For DSCSA Data Exchange”). The law requires companies to begin exchanging data on January 1 in either paper or electronic form, but because it would be virtually impossible for the big 3 wholesale distributors to accept even a single piece of paper for even a single shipment, the bulk of the U.S. sales by pharma manufacturers will be documented electronically from day-one. It turns out, the vast majority of that electronic documentation will be passed in the form of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Advance Ship Notices (ASNs) (see “DQSA: Getting To Electronic Transaction Data Exchange”, “Just Released – The HDMA EDI ASN Guidance For DSCSA”, “HDMA Has Updated Their EDI ASN Guidance For DSCSA, Again” and “The HDMA Supply Chain Product Transaction Scenarios For DSCSA”).

But the vast majority of those EDI ASN documents are not likely to Continue reading The Coming Transition To Serialized Data →

DSCSA, FDA

FDA Publishes Draft Guidance For DSCSA Data Exchange

November 26, 2014 Dirk Rodgers

As expected, the FDA has published the draft guidance on standards for paper and electronic data exchange that was mandated by the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). And the guidance is early–by one day–fulfilling the intent of the FDA as expressed in the DSCSA Data Exchange workshop held last spring (see “The 2014 FDA DSCSA Workshop“).

The new guidance document can be found on the FDA website at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM424895.pdf

I will provide my full analysis in Continue reading FDA Publishes Draft Guidance For DSCSA Data Exchange →

DSCSA, NDC

The DSCSA, the NDC, Inventory Management, GS1 GTINs…and Turkeys

November 24, 2014 Dirk Rodgers 1 Comment

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! — Giving thanks! It is my favorite holiday and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Until the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) was passed as part of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) last year (see “It’s Official, President Obama Signs H.R. 3204, DQSA, Into Law”), companies could use whatever code they wanted to refer to the prescription drug products in supply chain operations and for their own inventory management. Some probably chose the 10-digit National Drug Code (NDC), some probably chose the 11-digit reimbursement code that is based on the 10-digit NDC, and some probably chose to use a 12- or 14-digit GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) as a reference code for their inventory data. But now that the DSCSA mandates the use of the 10-digit NDC when exchanging transaction data on January 1, companies using the other codes that are based on the NDC might need to Continue reading The DSCSA, the NDC, Inventory Management, GS1 GTINs…and Turkeys →

DSCSA

Will The DSCSA Cause Drug Shortages After January 1?

November 17, 2014 Dirk Rodgers 2 Comments

Dr. Connie T. Jung, Acting Associate Director for Policy & Communications, Office of Drug Security, Integrity and Recalls, Office of Compliance, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, spoke last week at the 2014 Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) Traceability Seminar in Arlington, VA.

The presentation was similar to those given in the past except she provided an update on the progress of the next draft guidance the Agency is expected to publish on standards for data exchange (see “DSCSA: Many Questions, Few Answers”). The deadline imposed on the FDA by the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) is November 27, 2014 for that draft, but during the FDA DSCSA Workshop last spring (see “The 2014 FDA DSCSA Workshop”), Dr. Jung said that the Agency recognized the need to publish earlier than that. Last week she indicated that they will Continue reading Will The DSCSA Cause Drug Shortages After January 1? →

Global Alignment

Global Traceability Data Exchange: Troubled Waters Ahead

November 10, 2014 Dirk Rodgers

As we near the end of 2014, several important pharma traceability deadlines around the world are approaching. Besides the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), these include deadlines in Brazil and South Korea. Of course, each regulation is different. Now that the initial implementation of the exchange of transaction data in the U.S. is widely being implemented in Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) Advance Ship Notices (ASNs), the next hurdle for drug manufacturers will be to deploy serialization technologies on their U.S. and Korea market packaging lines. The data exchange technology problem will shift to Brazil, and that’s where I see trouble. Continue reading Global Traceability Data Exchange: Troubled Waters Ahead →

DSCSA, Repackaging

Who Is A DSCSA Repackager?

November 3, 2014 Dirk Rodgers

A while back I posted an essay called “Who Is A DSCSA Dispenser?”. I don’t think many actual dispensers read it because about half of the dispensers I run into think the earliest they have to do anything is July of next year. The other half don’t think there is anything in the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) about them at all. Too bad. Both are wrong.

Fortunately I think repackagers know better. At least they should, because the DSCSA contains a lot of specific requirements for them. Repackagers have most of the same requirements that manufacturers do, plus they have many of the wholesale distributor requirements. A double whammy.

Most people in the industry know what a repackager is. Typically they are companies that buy drugs from a manufacturer or a wholesale distributor and then open the packages and put the drug into a new package type. This can include putting the drug into a larger or smaller quantity package, or from bottles into blister cards or even unit dose packs for use in an automated picking machine. It can also include companies who Continue reading Who Is A DSCSA Repackager? →

GS1 Healthcare US

The GS1 Healthcare US Guidance For DSCSA, Vsn 1.1

October 27, 2014 Dirk Rodgers 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, GS1 Healthcare US published version 1.1 of their guidance for using the GS1 Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard to meet the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). See “GS1 Healthcare US Publishes Updated Guidance For DSCSA”. I was too busy at that time to review the document properly, but it is an important addition to the spectrum of information that companies can use to help them understand how to best meet the requirements of the DSCSA so I wanted to get back to it when I had time. That time is now.

As long term readers of RxTrace know, I did not believe EPCIS would ever be usable to meet the now obsolete California Pedigree law (see “The California Pedigree Law Is Now Officially Inoperative”), or any other State pedigree laws, and I do not believe it will be widely used to meet the Federal DSCSA before maybe 2021 or 2022, but I do believe it will take center-stage for meeting the long-term requirements of the DSCSA.

In 2023 the DSCSA transitions into Continue reading The GS1 Healthcare US Guidance For DSCSA, Vsn 1.1 →

Partnership For Safe Medicines

The Partnership For Safe Medicines Interchange 2014

October 20, 2014 Dirk Rodgers

The 2014 Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) Interchange event was held on September 18 in Washington DC. This was the fifth year of the event and every year it gets better. That’s why RxTrace has been a media sponsor of the event for the last four years. This year, I found every speaker to be compelling. Next year I am elevating this event to my “highly recommended” short list.

Attendance at the event has grown each year and this time they reached the capacity of the venue and were forced to cut off registrations some time before the day of the event. A number of RxTrace readers were present at the this year’s event but more ought to attend going forward.

The PSM interchange is a different kind of event. It’s not a “how to” event. Over the years, the speaker lineup has included State and Federal pharma regulators, criminal justice professionals (investigators and prosecutors), academics, politicians, pharmaceutical industry associations, medical professionals and occasionally, victims of counterfeit drugs. The audience includes all of the above, plus Continue reading The Partnership For Safe Medicines Interchange 2014 →

…a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between healthcare supply chains, track and trace technology, standards and global regulatory compliance