December 20, 2016 Industry news
New study published in the British Medical Journal shows effectiveness of GS1 2D data matrix for detecting counterfeit and falsified medicines
An NHS Trust in England recently took part in a study to show the effectiveness of GS1 standards to combat illegal medicines being used in their hospitals. The study showed that when the data matrix on medicines was scanned, it was 100% effective at identifying counterfeit, recalled and expired medicines.
Trusts across England are beginning to use GS1 standards for a number of reasons, not least because the European Parliament are asking for a unique identifier to be placed on all medical products by February 2019. And it’s not just a legislation issue, patient safety is at the heart of it all – in 2015, the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, shut down more than 2,000 online pharmacies and in the first half of 2016, they seized 12,000,000 fake or unlicensed products. If these drugs reach patients, they can affect their health, leading them to suffer additional side effects and have even caused death in some cases. Trusts have a duty of care to make sure they’re doing as much as they can to support the efforts being made by government and by pharmaceutical suppliers to eliminate this.
GS1 standards have been identified as the standard of choice in the battle against counterfeiting because of the reliability and experience they bring. We’ve been working in the retail sector for over 40 years, making sure their supply chain is as efficient, effective and safe as it can be. The reason that they work is that they’re used for identifying, capturing and sharing information – about products, assets, services, people, and locations. In a hospital, this means that they can know they’re speaking the same language as their pharmacy and as their drug manufacturer, giving complete visibility of the supply chain. It doesn’t just meet regulations, but it also saves time and makes patients safer.
Acute Trusts are being asked to implement GS1 standards and this is one of the biggest areas where we can help. If you’re a Trust, or a supplier, and you want to know where to get started – get in touch. It’s just over two years until the Falsified Medicines Directive deadline and the sooner Trusts and suppliers get started on GS1 implementation, the easier it will be.