Tag Archives: DSCSA

DSCSA

DSCSA Exemption For Public Health Emergencies

On March 10, 2020, Alex M. Azar II, Secretary of Health and Human Services of the US government, declared a public health emergency (PHE) under Section 319F of the Public Health Service Act “…to provide liability immunity for activities related to medical countermeasures against COVID-19.”  This action immediately opened an exemption embedded in the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) for the “covered persons” performing the “covered countermeasures” aimed at the specific “threat” in the covered “geographic area”, for the identified “population” for the “effective time period” specifically identified in the declaration. 

This is only the second public health emergency with nationwide scale announced in at least the last 20 years.  The first was for the opioid crisis.  The intent of these declarations is to lower the liability exposure to companies helping to create, distribute and administer countermeasures aimed at ending the emergency.  Let’s take a closer look at the effect of the Covid-19 PHE on the DSCSA and companies in the US pharma supply chain.

Continue reading DSCSA Exemption For Public Health Emergencies →
Blockchain

GS1 Blockchain Discussion Group Kickoff Meeting

Stock photo of actors reenacting the GS1 US discussion group meeting.

I attended the GS1 US Blockchain Discussion Group kickoff meeting on November 28-29 out of curiosity.  Fortunately it was held in Chicago so I didn’t need to travel very far.  Just a simple commuter train ride from home each day.  Any farther and I might not have attended, but I was glad I did.  It was great to have the opportunity to Continue reading GS1 Blockchain Discussion Group Kickoff Meeting →

DSCSA

FDA Gets Comments On Their Draft Q&A on DSCSA Product Identifiers

Over the weekend I skimmed through the many responses the FDA has received for their ‘Product Identifiers Under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act Questions and Answers’ draft guidance (see “FDA Posts Two Final DSCSA Guidances And A Draft Product Identifier Q&A Document” and “FDA’s Late Recommendation On Human Readable”).  As usual, the most specific, most detailed and most interesting response comes from the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA).  In fact, a few of the other respondents refer to the HDA’s work in the areas covered by the Q&A.  Many of the respondents—even those who did not credit HDA—agreed with the HDA’s positions they covered.  There were a few different opinions, however.  Let’s take a look. Continue reading FDA Gets Comments On Their Draft Q&A on DSCSA Product Identifiers →

NDC

An Open Letter To The FDA: New NDC Format Public Meeting

2 Comments

Dear FDA:
Thank you for inviting interested parties like me to provide our thoughts on the new NDC format that you think will be necessary in 10 to 15 years (see “FDA Seeks Input On The Future Format of the National Drug Code”).  I hope you can make it that long, but regardless, now is certainly the time to begin working on a replacement. Continue reading An Open Letter To The FDA: New NDC Format Public Meeting →

DSCSA

DSCSA Uniqueness: SNI vs SGTIN

1 Comment

In case you didn’t see my note at the end of my essay a few weeks ago, I am publishing new, free-to-everyone, RxTrace essays, one per month, on the Center For Supply Chain Studies (C4SCS) community website under the “Tune In | Monthly Slice of RxTrace” heading.  In fact, there are now two new essays there.  I’m finding that they are getting little notice there, so I have decided to post short intro essays, like this one, here on RxTrace.com whenever I post a new essay on the C4SCS website.  That way everyone here will get notified and can easily find them with a single click.

October’s essay is quite good.  It discusses the differences between the SGTIN that drug manufacturers put on their packages and the SNI that the DSCSA requires them to put there, and the implications of those differences.  It’s a very timely topic, I think you’ll agree. Continue reading DSCSA Uniqueness: SNI vs SGTIN →

DSCSA

2018 HDA Traceability Seminar Recap

2 Comments

Dr. Ilisa Bernstein, PharmD, JD

I look forward to the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) Traceability Seminar every year because it is where the a very large number of the key members of the US supply chain meet to discuss implementation of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).  Organizations like the HDA, GS1 US and the FDA often save up their significant news and publications throughout the fall so they can release them with big fanfare at this event.  This year was no exception.  All three of those organizations made news with their announcements this year. Continue reading 2018 HDA Traceability Seminar Recap →

DSCSA

McKesson’s DSCSA 483 Explained

Back on July 3, 2018 the FDA issued a notice of “inspectional observations”—known as an “FDA Form 483”—containing observations that appeared to the inspector to be potential violations of certain sections of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).  The FDA recently posted the form on their website, but did not post the response from the company.  I assume McKesson would have contested it.  Without knowing what McKesson said to the FDA in response, let’s take a closer look at the FDA’s logic and come up with our own thoughts. Continue reading McKesson’s DSCSA 483 Explained →

DSCSA Product Identifier

FDA’s Late Recommendation On Human Readable

Just ten weeks before the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) requires drug manufacturers to begin applying a serialized product identifier in barcode and human readable form to drug packages and homogeneous cases, the FDA has recommended a human readable format that differs from what the majority of  manufacturers have already chosen.  What’s going on here?  What options do manufacturers have? Continue reading FDA’s Late Recommendation On Human Readable →