Tag Archives: EUDR

Aggregation Under the FMD

Two weeks ago, an EU Member State Expert Group connected to the European Commission (EC) published a paper aimed at explaining what hospitals should do to meet their obligation to verify and decommission drugs after the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) Delegated Regulation (EUDR) goes into effect on February 9, 2019.  The new paper is all about aggregation and its use by Continue reading Aggregation Under the FMD

EMVO Admits, ‘Insufficient Randomisation’ Warnings Can Be Ignored

The EU Delegated Regulation (EUDR) of the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) mandates that all serial numbers placed on non-exempt drugs entering the EU supply chain after February 9, 2019 must be ‘sufficiently randomised’.  What is sufficient randomisation?  The regulation says one thing, and the European Medicines Verification Organization (EMVO), the operator of the EU Hub, says something beyond that.  What should drug manufacturers do?  The EMVO recently updated their messaging.  Let’s take another look at this important topic. Continue reading EMVO Admits, ‘Insufficient Randomisation’ Warnings Can Be Ignored

DSCSA: Why FDA Will Not Mandate Blockchain, EPCIS Or Any Other Specific Technology

There are a lot of discussions going on in the industry right now, over which approach and which technologies the US pharma supply chain should select to meet the 2023 requirements of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).  People are understandably confused over these discussions.  Why should we guess what the FDA will accept in 2023?  Blockchain?  EPCIS?  Aren’t these debates and discussions just a waste of our time?  Why doesn’t the FDA just tell us which technology they will accept for the DSCSA in 2023?  In fact, these questions have become so common lately that I think it is time to examine what is going on.  There are definitive answers to these questions, and they are contained within the DSCSA itself. Continue reading DSCSA: Why FDA Will Not Mandate Blockchain, EPCIS Or Any Other Specific Technology

Data Ownership In The Track And Trace Cloud, Reprised And Updated

Back in January of 2013 I wrote an important essay called “Data Ownership In The Track And Trace Cloud” which analyzed a potential future where members of the pharma supply chain would need to deposit and maintain track and trace data in a centralized or semi-centralized data repository in the “cloud”.  As the title implies, my main focus was on who would own that data, which was, and continues to be, a hot topic.

But now, five years on, things are getting less “potential” and more real. Continue reading Data Ownership In The Track And Trace Cloud, Reprised And Updated

What’s So Hard About Unique Identifier Verification?

Both, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) in the US and the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) in the EU make use of unique identifier verification in one way or another.  Under the FMD, verification is the centerpiece of patient protection.  Under the DSCSA, verification is used as a tool to help resolve higher risk use cases, like saleable returns to wholesale distributors, and anytime someone becomes “suspicious” about a collection of drug packages.  On the surface, verification of unique identifiers seems simple, but there are some sticky problems that make it complex in some circumstances (see also “Drug Verification: EU Vs US”). Continue reading What’s So Hard About Unique Identifier Verification?

The Most Head-Scratching Section Of The FMD

I found this sealed OTC product in my own closet. Note the round clear adhesive seal between the four yellow arrows. Would this anti-tamper seal render this product illegal in the EU after next February?

Just after I posted my last FMD essay on RxTrace (see “FMD, One Year Out”) I found out that the European Commission had published version 9 of their “Safety Features for Medicinal Products for Human Use, Questions and Answers”.  This is must reading for anyone with questions about how to interpret the most confusing provisions of the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) (also known as EU Directive 2011/62 and which amends Directive 2001/83) and the Delegated Regulation (EUDR) (also known as EU Regulation No 2016/161) (see “The E.C. Officially Published The Pharma Safety Feature Delegated Act This Morning“).

With each major revision this Q&A document grows.  This time it grew substantially with the addition of 21 new questions and answers and updates to four previously posted answers.

But there is one provision of the FMD that defies explanation, even though the Q&A document burns two Q&As to attempt it.  That provision in the FMD is Section 1 of Article 45a, which basically says, in part, that you cannot put an anti-tamper device on non-prescription drugs unless the EC or a Member State specifically says you can.  What’s going on here? Continue reading The Most Head-Scratching Section Of The FMD

The FMD Product Code

Under the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), starting on February 9, 2019 drug manufacturers must begin affixing a new Unique Identifier and an anti-tamper device to all consumer packages of prescription drugs (see “The E.C. Officially Published The Pharma Safety Feature Delegated Act This Morning”).  The Unique Identifier must be composed of a Product Code, Serial Number, Batch Number, Expiration Date and, where required, a National Reimbursement Code (see “The ‘Unique Identifier’ in the EU Delegated Act”).  This data must be uploaded to the E.U. Hub prior to shipment into the supply chain.  All of the details are spelled out in the Delegated Regulation (EUDR).

One of the more interesting aspects of the FMD/EUDR is the Product Code. Continue reading The FMD Product Code