Tag Archives: free

Walgreens, Automation, And Erasing Disabilities

Randy Lewis, Sr. VP, Walgreens, retired
Randy Lewis, Sr. VP, Walgreens

Amid news of our disfunctional Congress, more mass gun violence and negative economic news last week, I received the links to the following uplifting videos about Walgreen’s Anderson, South Carolina distribution center.  After watching them, I have determined that you must see them.

Click the link to watch what I think should have been called, “Walgreens, Automation, and Erasing Disabilities, Part 1” (but instead is called “The Coolest DC in the World…Part 1”):

http://www.moveitshow.com/clips/2057658540001/

and, “The Coolest DC in the World…Part 2”:

http://www.moveitshow.com/clips/2057658530001/

My original interest in watching these videos was to see all the automation they have added to this particular distribution center.  (“What?  They’re running pharmaceuticals down a tilt-tray sorter?  How unique!  I’ve got to see that.”)  but after the first minute or so Continue reading Walgreens, Automation, And Erasing Disabilities

Data Ownership In The Track & Trace Cloud

Cloud over IllinoisImportant Notice To Readers of This Essay On November 27, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 into law. That act has many provisions, but one is to pre-empt all existing and future state serialization and pedigree laws like those that previously existed in California and Florida. Some or all of the information contained in this essay is about some aspect of one or more of those state laws and so that information is now obsolete. It is left here only for historical purposes for those wishing to understand those old laws and the industry’s response to them.Who will own the data that supply chain trading partners store in some future cloud-based, semi-centralized Network Centric ePedigree (NCeP) data repository?  I met one potential future repository service provider who seemed to think that they would own that data.  Imagine their excitement.  All the data about where drugs go throughout the supply chain!  Think of the value they could mine from that.

Well, that’s never going to happen because companies in the supply chain won’t sign up for handing over all of their supply chain data to some third-party just so they can comply with regulations, especially when there exists an alternative approach that would allow them to avoid using a third-party and still comply (by using DPMS).  And regulatory agencies are Continue reading Data Ownership In The Track & Trace Cloud

“The Shadows Of Things That MAY BE, Only” : EPCIS and California Compliance

Magoo_christmas_futureImportant Notice To Readers of This Essay On November 27, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 into law. That act has many provisions, but one is to pre-empt all existing and future state serialization and pedigree laws like those that previously existed in California and Florida. Some or all of the information contained in this essay is about some aspect of one or more of those state laws and so that information is now obsolete. It is left here only for historical purposes for those wishing to understand those old laws and the industry’s response to them.Currently, we know that companies can use GS1’s Drug Pedigree Messaging Standard (DPMS) to comply with the California pedigree law.  That’s been known for a long time now.  But many companies have been hoping to use GS1’s more general purpose Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard instead for almost as long.  For just as long, it has been known that a number of problems arise when you try to figure out exactly how to apply EPCIS to California compliance.

The problem is, EPCIS was originally envisioned by its creators to share supply chain “visibility” data.  That is, event data that was to be collected automatically based on Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) reads picked up by readers that were to be spread around the supply chain by each of its members.  The collection of RFID readers were to form a kind of “visibility” of each RFID tag applied to the products in the supply chain.  From this visibility would come benefits.  One of those benefits was to be Continue reading “The Shadows Of Things That MAY BE, Only” : EPCIS and California Compliance

California Board of Pharmacy Clarifies Use Of GS1 EPCIS

“The Californians”

Important Notice To Readers of This Essay On November 27, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 into law. That act has many provisions, but one is to pre-empt all existing and future state serialization and pedigree laws like those that previously existed in California and Florida. Some or all of the information contained in this essay is about some aspect of one or more of those state laws and so that information is now obsolete. It is left here only for historical purposes for those wishing to understand those old laws and the industry’s response to them.As I indicated last week, I wanted to write about a specific dialog that occurred at the December 4, 2012 California Board of Pharmacy Enforcement Committee meeting.  The important exchange came at the end of the meeting during the catchall agenda item called “General Discussions” when topics that are not on the agenda can be raised by Board members or the general public in attendance.

As soon as the Chair opened that agenda item, Michael Ventura of GlaxoSmithKline rose and strode to the microphone.  The exchange that followed was captured on the meeting video.  I transcribed the exchange below as it happened because I think it provides a number of important clarifications about  Continue reading California Board of Pharmacy Clarifies Use Of GS1 EPCIS

Robert J. “Bob” Bergantino (1960-2012)

Robert J. Bergantino

I received very sad news last night of the loss of another friend and co-worker in the serialization and track and trace industry.  Bob Bergantino, most recently of Excellis Health Solutions, worked for SupplyScape at the same time I did.  We didn’t work on any projects or sales together but Bob was such a cheerful and inviting person that I couldn’t help but know and love him.  Bob had a magnetic personality and was full of wit, charm and love for everyone around him.  We will all miss him. Continue reading Robert J. “Bob” Bergantino (1960-2012)

How To Make The Semi-Centralized Track & Trace Model A Reality

Important Notice To Readers of This Essay On November 27, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013 into law. That act has many provisions, but one is to pre-empt all existing and future state serialization and pedigree laws like those that previously existed in California and Florida. Some or all of the information contained in this essay is about some aspect of one or more of those state laws and so that information is now obsolete. It is left here only for historical purposes for those wishing to understand those old laws and the industry’s response to them.Last week I attended the Enforcement Committee meeting of the California Board of Pharmacy.  The value of attending these meetings is hard to extract.  It helps to have a solid knowledge of the language of the pedigree law, understanding of the standards and technology being considered to meet it, and the history of how we got where we are today.  Even with all that on your side it takes a lot of concentration during the meeting and after it is over to put it all into perspective and find the value.

I will provide you with my thoughts on what Continue reading How To Make The Semi-Centralized Track & Trace Model A Reality

Can HIBCC Withstand The GS1 Tide In Medical Device Identification?

I was recently asked to help a small medical device manufacturer switch all of their medical device-related product codes from Health Industry Business Communications Council (HIBCC) Universal Product Numbers (UPN) to GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN).  Historically, the pharmaceutical supply chain has used GS1 GTINs but the medical device supply chain has predominantly used HIBCC UPNs, so a switch like that seemed to be against the grain.  I asked them, “Why are you abandoning HIBCC codes for GS1 codes?”

The answer was a little startling Continue reading Can HIBCC Withstand The GS1 Tide In Medical Device Identification?

The Different Goals of Anti-Counterfeiting Technologies and Serialization

While writing last Monday’s RxTrace essay I ran out of time before I could get to the point I originally intended to make, so here is the conclusion to my thoughts on the topic.

The point I wanted to make is that there is a big difference between the goal of serialization and that of most other anti-counterfeiting technologies.  Most anti-counterfeiting technologies covered in Mark Davison’s essential book on the topic, “Pharmaceutical Anti-Counterfeiting, Combating the Real Danger from Fake Drugs“, are technologies that a given manufacturer chooses to place in or on their drug, or on their drug’s packaging so that they can later differentiate it from potential counterfeit versions.  That is, so that they can later “authenticate” only the drugs that they truly manufactured.

The decision a given manufacturer makes about which anti-counterfeiting technology(ies), if any, to use for a given drug for a given market is Continue reading The Different Goals of Anti-Counterfeiting Technologies and Serialization