Last month I published an essay that analyzed the exemption language related to combination products contained in the old California pedigree law and in H.R. 3204, which was later signed into law as the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) (see “Drug-Device Combo Products Under State And Federal Pedigree Laws”). In that essay I showed how these exemptions were very similar because both were based on the existing definition of a “combination product” from 21 CFR 3.2(e). My assessment of the effect of the wording in the old California pedigree law is still valid, in my opinion, but I now believe my analysis of the language in H.R. 3204 was incorrect. Here is why. Continue reading Correction: Your Drug or Biologic Combination Product Is Probably NOT Exempt From The DQSA
Tag Archives: DQSA
Will The FDA Eliminate The Linear Barcode On Drugs?
During last week’s FDA DQSA supply chain stakeholder’s conference call I was heartened by Ilisa Bernstein’s comments about the linear barcode rule (she says the FDA just calls it “the barcode rule”). The question was asked by a caller whether or not the linear barcode requirement might be dropped in light of the 2D barcode requirement contained in the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) since some drug packages are too small to accommodate both barcodes. This is an excellent question and I was happy the caller asked it so directly.
In her response, Dr. Bernstein pointed out that Continue reading Will The FDA Eliminate The Linear Barcode On Drugs?
Announcing The 2014 RxTrace U.S. Pharma Traceability Survey
With the enactment of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act of 2013 (DSCSA) last week (see “It’s Official, President Obama Signs H.R. 3204, DQSA, Into Law“) I have decided to conduct an annual survey of U.S. pharma traceability preparedness. You can fill out the survey by clicking on this link: Take the 2014 RxTrace U.S. Pharma Traceability Survey Now.
The answers you provide anonymously will be aggregated to provide a view of the thinking of the industry, solution providers, regulators, academics and more, in addition to a view of the preparedness of the industry to meet the new federal pharmaceutical traceability law. Please make sure your company is represented in the data that is collected. The survey is Continue reading Announcing The 2014 RxTrace U.S. Pharma Traceability Survey
Preemption: What Does It Mean?
On November 27, 2013 President Barack Obama signed the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 (DQSA) into law (see “It’s Official, President Obama Signs H.R. 3204, DQSA, Into Law“). That act has many provisions, but one is to preempt all existing and future state pharmaceutical serialization and pedigree laws like those that previously existed in California and Florida. Because of the preemption language contained within the DQSA, the information contained within many previous RxTrace essays is now obsolete. Some essays are entirely obsolete and some are only partially obsolete. This is because many of these essays contain ideas and discussion about topics that will also apply to the new federal law in almost the same way that they applied to the California and/or other state laws that are now inoperative. In those cases, the ideas and discussion are not obsolete, only their application to the state law(s) is now obsolete.
To address this issue I have Continue reading Preemption: What Does It Mean?
It’s Official, President Obama Signs H.R. 3204, DQSA, Into Law
According to the White House website, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 3204, the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), into law a short time ago, bringing to a successful conclusion efforts by the industry and consumer groups to create a national pharmaceutical serialization and track & trace regulation that eliminates the patchwork of state laws in addition to new regulations for compounding pharmacies.
Many people and organizations contributed to this successful effort and they all deserve congratulations, but I believe the organizations with the most responsibility for this conclusion is the California State legislature and the California Board of Pharmacy in Continue reading It’s Official, President Obama Signs H.R. 3204, DQSA, Into Law
DQSA: The U.S. Pharma Supply Chain Must Organize, Or Risk Failure
If there is one overriding lesson exposed by my essays last week it is that the companies in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain must quickly organize to work out technology and process issues that stand in the way of an efficient implementation of phase 1 of Title II of the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 (see “DQSA: Getting To Electronic Transaction Data Exchange” and “DQSA: Will U.S. Pharma Distributors Mandate Aggregation Data In Phase 1?”). Title II of the DQSA is the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).
The law gives the FDA one year to publish guidance containing standards for use by companies in the supply chain for the exchange of Continue reading DQSA: The U.S. Pharma Supply Chain Must Organize, Or Risk Failure
DQSA: Getting To Electronic Transaction Data Exchange
While we wait for President Obama to sign the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 (DQSA, a.k.a. H.R. 3204) we can be confident it will become law in the next week or so. This President has been presented with over 740 bills so far in his Presidency and he has signed all but two. He has 10 days to sign the bill or it becomes law anyway but there might be some delay in the process between passage by the Senate and when the President is presented with the bill.
My interest in the DQSA of 2013 is only the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCS) which is Title II within the overall bill. I’m going to keep referring to it as the DQSA of 2013 but be aware that I probably won’t ever write about the compounding part, Title I. If that is what brought you here, sorry, look elsewhere.
It is not law yet, but we can now be 100% sure it will be very soon. Even before the bill was Continue reading DQSA: Getting To Electronic Transaction Data Exchange
