[Blog] Serialization – One step towards counterfeit-free future, one step against fear abusement
The serialization turns out to be a main character in the fight against counterfeiting of drugs.
Counterfeit drugs pose a public health hazard. Furthermore, they waste consumer income and also can cost their life. We, at SoftGroup, believe that serialization of the medicines is on step toward counterfeit-free industry.
During these uncertain times, safety is the top priority nowadays. Safety of our personal health, our families and our community.
Many discussions have arisen about personal, national and worldwide security – all have been provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic which is still evolving the world and its consequences will affect all industries and economics worldwide.
Talking about safety in pharmaceutical drug manufacturing, the topic for the counterfeit medicine is coming up undoubtedly. In the pharmaceutical industry, counterfeit and falsified drugs present another long-term global public health risk. These drugs may be not only ineffective but actively dangerous, causing adverse reactions or even death. Furthermore, these counterfeit drugs may be manufactured in multiple locations making them difficult to track and remove from the supply chain.
Unfortunately, we are already witnessing the first abuse of human fear and the first case of counterfeiting of the COVID-19 related products. The US authorities warned consumers about fake home-testing kits for the coronavirus.
In order to defeat counterfeiting, across the world governments agree that implementing drug product serialization can help to significantly reduce counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals.
Pharmaceutical serialization is assigning a unique serial number to each pharmaceutical package, goods can be identified and tracked throughout the entire pharmaceutical supply chain. Information including the product origin, expiry date, and the batch number could be identified and associated with the serial number, enabling Track and Trace from the production cycle to the end-user. Serialization and traceability can standardize and harmonize operational processes across manufacturers, parallel distributors, warehouses, 3PLs, hospitals and pharmacies resulting in the synchronized workflow. It also assists in scanning and removing expired, faulty or damaged products, ensuring that only genuine product reaches the consumer. Furthermore, it helps the manufacturer by preventing revenue loss occurring due to the recall of the faulty or damaged products.
Besides many economical aspects of the implementation of the serialization within pharmaceutical production, this process has its global impact on keeping the safety of patients worldwide and must be seriously considered by the pharmaceutical business leaders across the world.