Tag Archives: track and trace

Global Regulators Recommend Track & Trace Interoperability Features

Back in the fall of 2017 the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) published a paper containing recommendations for pharmaceutical product regulators around the world to consider for achieving future interoperability of national or market pharma track and trace systems.  That is, their recommendations were aimed at enabling interoperability between and among the various current and future pharma track & trace regulated systems around the globe.  For example, their recommendations could help the US FDA exchange and accept information from the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS), and vice versa.  In this way, regulators in each market could learn about problems with drug products circulating within each other’s markets.  Why would you want to do such a thing?  Let’s take a look at their 2017 paper.

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PDSA’s Proposal for Governance of DSCSA Phase II Interoperability

Independent, balanced, sector-neutral

Last week, the Pharmaceutical Distribution Security Alliance (PDSA) published two papers aimed at kickstarting the creation of a new non-profit organization that would accept the responsibility for setting up and executing governance over Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) phase II interoperability (see “A Serious DSCSA Governance Organizational Proposal Emerges From PDSA”).  PDSA defines “DSCSA phase II” to be the same as what the DSCSA text calls the “Enhanced Drug Distribution Security” (EDDS) phase (see “EDDS: The New Data Exchange Requirements”).  The EDDS phase (err, Phase II of the DSCSA) starts on November 27, 2023.  In most informal conversations this phase is usually just referred to as “2023”. 

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What Should FDA Pilot?

Last week the FDA announced it will coordinate one or more pilot(s) to assist in the development of the electronic, interoperable system that will identify and trace drugs in the U.S. under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) in its Enhanced Drug Distribution Security (EDDS) phase starting in 2023.  Once they start work on pilot planning, they will call for proposals from stakeholders and others.  But they can’t start until they get permission from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and they won’t even ask OMB for permission until they collect comments on the proposed collection of information associated with establishing the pilot program.  Believe it or not, that was the Continue reading What Should FDA Pilot?

Announcing: The Second Edition of The Drug Supply Chain Security Act Explained

DSCSA2ndEditionAdImageThis past week I have been on a vacation with my family in the Caribbean so I do not have a topical essay for you this week, except to announce the availability of the second edition of The Drug Supply Chain Security Act Explained.  The full title is “The Drug Supply Chain Security Act Explained: Second Edition, Plus Explanations Of Key FDA DSCSA Guidances”.  This time the book is available as a paperback and at the much more affordable price of only US$59.99.

I am working on Continue reading Announcing: The Second Edition of The Drug Supply Chain Security Act Explained

SAP Makes Bold Move Into Pharma Traceability

sap-erp-graphicLast week SAP announced the availability of their brand new software module they are calling “SAP Advanced Track and Trace for Pharmaceuticals”, or ATTP.  Pharmaceutical Commerce magazine published an article about it recently that provides the details of what is contained in this new module.  The same issue contained a sponsored article from SAP about the module.  As long-term readers of RxTrace know, I do not endorse specific products and I rarely even write about specific products.  This essay is not an endorsement— Continue reading SAP Makes Bold Move Into Pharma Traceability

InBrief: HDMA Updates DSCSA Q&A

HDMA LogoThe Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) recently updated their “HDMA Qs and As on the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA)” to version 2.0.  This is a very well thought through document that will help companies understand how wholesale distributors are interpreting confusing or ambiguous sections of the law.  The document leans heavily toward questions about how wholesale distributors will need to react in various situations, but it will also be a resource that manufacturers, repackagers and dispensers will want to obtain and review.  What is really needed is for someone to do the same kind of analysis for questions that mainly affect those other supply chain entities.   Continue reading InBrief: HDMA Updates DSCSA Q&A

Pharmaceutical Traceability Forum Offers Strategic and Solution Focused Discussions to Prepare Organizations for the Upcoming Compliance Deadlines

PharmaTraceability Forum.300x250RxTrace is pleased to announce a partnership with the Pharmaceutical Traceability Forum, taking place March 30-April 1 in Boston, MA. In line with the upcoming regulatory and compliance deadlines, the Pharmaceutical Traceability Forum is the #1 event bringing together the brightest minds in the industry to discuss personal experiences and best strategies for preparing your serialization programs for 2015 and beyond.

Download the event agenda or request a copy via e-mail.

The Forum program, created for Continue reading Pharmaceutical Traceability Forum Offers Strategic and Solution Focused Discussions to Prepare Organizations for the Upcoming Compliance Deadlines

Global Traceability Data Exchange: Troubled Waters Ahead

iStock_000008540261SmallerAs we near the end of 2014, several important pharma traceability deadlines around the world are approaching.  Besides the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), these include deadlines in Brazil and South Korea.  Of course, each regulation is different.  Now that the initial implementation of the exchange of transaction data in the U.S. is widely being implemented in Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) Advance Ship Notices (ASNs), the next hurdle for drug manufacturers will be to deploy serialization technologies on their U.S. and Korea market packaging lines.  The data exchange technology problem will shift to Brazil, and that’s where I see trouble. Continue reading Global Traceability Data Exchange: Troubled Waters Ahead