According to the HDMA, their Distribution Management Conference and Expo in San Antonio last week broke the attendance record at more than 500 attendees, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why the number wasn’t double that amount. When you compare the value you receive by attending this (or any) HDMA event with what you receive from any third-party event, well, there isn’t any comparison. HDMA serves sizzling steak to their soggy puffed rice. The reason is not just the quality of the speakers. In fact, as “speakers”, they really aren’t any better at speaking than any other group of people, but it is who they are and what they know that makes the difference. And just as important, who else is in the audience that makes these events so special. It’s not just what is going on in the sessions, but it is who you meet and what you learn in the hallways and networking breaks between sessions. I’ve said this before (see “Terminology: Track and Trace, and Pedigree”). Continue reading HDMA DMC Serves Sizzling Steak With A Small Side Of Snake Oil
Tag Archives: ASN
Again, A Closer Look At The Six-Year Record-Keeping Requirement
It was a very beautiful weekend here in the Chicago area, and consequently I could not bring myself to spend any part of it sitting in front of a computer hammering out a new essay, so for the second week in a row (sorry), here is a re-run of a popular essay from July 14, 2014. I promise to return next week with a brand new essay.
The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) contains record-keeping requirements for drug manufacturers, wholesale distributors, repackagers and dispensers that begin on January 1st, 2015, All companies must keep a copy of the Transaction Information (TI), Transaction History (TH), and Transaction Statements (TS) they receive and those they send for at least six years. In addition, manufacturers and repackagers must also retain Continue reading Again, A Closer Look At The Six-Year Record-Keeping Requirement
Will EPCIS Event Exchange Replace EDI ASNs for DSCSA Someday?
The use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Advance Ship Notices (ASNs) in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain has expanded over the last year, due entirely to its recognition by the FDA as a valid method for passing the Transaction Information (TI), Transaction History (TH), and Transaction Statements (TS) as required by the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) has encouraged that expansion by publishing a “how-to” guide for meeting the requirements of the DSCSA using an ASN (see “HDMA Has Updated Their EDI ASN Guidance For DSCSA, Again”).
Although not everything has worked out Continue reading Will EPCIS Event Exchange Replace EDI ASNs for DSCSA Someday?
Is An ASN Really The Best Way to Pass Lot-Based DSCSA Transaction Data?
We are now more than six weeks past the date that the DSCSA originally mandated drug manufacturers, repackagers and wholesale distributors to pass Transaction Information (TI), Transaction History (TH), and Transaction Statements (TS) to their customers in the U.S. and save a copy for six years (see “DSCSA: A Closer Look At The Six-Year Record-Keeping Requirement”). Of course, just before Christmas, the FDA pushed out that part of the requirement until May 1, 2015 to ensure that the requirement did not induce or exacerbate drug shortages (see “FDA Postpones Enforcement of DSCSA Transaction Data Exchange Until May 1”).
Despite the delay, many companies are already passing the required data to their trading partners through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Advance Shipment Notices (ASNs) (see “HDMA Has Updated Their EDI ASN Guidance For DSCSA, Again”). In fact, the vast majority of companies have Continue reading Is An ASN Really The Best Way to Pass Lot-Based DSCSA Transaction Data?
DSCSA Exception Handling: A Preview of Your Next Surprise Headache
Companies that participate in the U.S. pharma supply chain and are subject to the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) are preparing to meet the FDA’s 2015 deadlines for exchanging Transaction Information (TI), Transaction History (TH), and Transaction Statements (TS) for every shipment. Those preparations include integrating the generation, transmission, confirmation, storage and retrieval (see “DSCSA: A Closer Look At The Six-Year Record-Keeping Requirement”) of these documents into their existing supply chain and regulatory compliance processes. It is a big deal and it affects a large number of companies. Continue reading DSCSA Exception Handling: A Preview of Your Next Surprise Headache
The Coming Transition To Serialized Data
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
Will GS1’s EPCIS Be Used Widely For DSCSA Data Exchange?
I am confident that GS1’s Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard will take center stage in 2023 when the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) transitions into what that law calls the “Enhanced Drug Distribution System”, or EDDS. That’s when the DSCSA mandates that supply chain changes of ownership of prescription drugs must be documented in an interoperable electronic system based on their unique serial numbers.
Each of the steps that must be implemented by the industry between now and Continue reading Will GS1’s EPCIS Be Used Widely For DSCSA Data Exchange?
HDMA Has Updated Their EDI ASN Guidance For DSCSA, Again
The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) had just published another update to their guidance for meeting the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) 856 Advance Ship Notice (ASN). In case you thought they already did that a few months ago, you are right. This is an update (July) to the earlier update, and this one is important, so make sure you replace your old copy with this one.
The previous guidance document (see “Just Released – The HDMA EDI ASN Guidance For DSCSA”) was pulled together very quickly to meet the demands of everyone in the supply chain. However, it missed a few critical characteristics, like how to document:
- the identity of the buyer and seller when either differs from the ship-to or ship-from locations;
- when the drugs were originally purchased directly from the manufacturer or exclusive distributor;
- when the seller received a direct purchase statement from their supplier.
Continue reading HDMA Has Updated Their EDI ASN Guidance For DSCSA, Again
