Pharma serialization: Managing the transformation.
By making the right investments in the right technology with the
right business partner, the pharmaceuticals ecosystem can alleviate
and hopefully eliminate the threat of counterfeit drugs to patient
safety and wellness
Executive Summary
The global pharmaceuticals industry faces
problems of counterfeiting, theft, diversion and
false returns to manufacturers. The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates counterfeit drugs
are approximately 1% of the supply in developed
countries and 30% to 40% in developing coun
-
tries. Though the 1% figure seems small, it consists
of millions of prescriptions in the U.S. alone.
Pharmaceuticals companies and governments of
countries worldwide believe that counterfeiting
by organized crime can be reduced significantly
by implementing product serialization. Serializa
-
tion requires a comprehensive system to track
and trace the passage of prescription drugs
through the entire supply chain. Every product
should be identified by a unique serial number in
addition to the origin, shelf life and batch number.
This will allow the product’s lifecycle to be traced
from production, through distribution and finally
to dispensation to patients at the drugstore or
hospital.
