Judie Finesilver MRPharmS

e-Business Pharmacist

Commercial Medicines Unit,

Department of Health

judie.finesilver@cmu.nhs.uk

07785 573 914

Update on barcodes & medicines-associated issues in NHS

February 23rd 2012 

Franklin Room, IBM United Kingdom Limited, 76/78 Upper Ground,

What’s the current message ?

•NHS dm+d

•GS1

•EU Falsified Medicines Directive

•Projects from CMU

NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices – dm+d

•Website

•Name, strength, form of a medicine

•No ambiguity

•Enter the GTIN

http://www.dmd.nhs.uk/

No supply chain informaton.. No GTIN

GTIN Global Trader Item Number

GTIN- used to be known as EAN

Managed by GS1- Global Standards 1

Population of GTIN field currently ~ 20%

Working with BSA to appear in the browser

Link between clinical and supply chain will support patient safety

Example

Similar looking product- very different clinical action

Wrong label attached to product

What else could the barcode carry?

Newer and cleverer carriers.

QR code : 2D data matrix code

Quick Response Code

EU Falsified Medicines Directive

http://www.manufacturingchemist.com/news/article_page/EC_consults_on_Falsified_Medicines_Directive/71100

Safety Features?

Tamper-Evident Seal

Unique Identifier

Process

 

 All POMs to be included and Medicines to be risk assessed for exclusion where the product is  a POM or for inclusion where the product is a prescription medicine.

Risk assessments proposed to be based on cost, volume, risk to health.

 

Issues

•Cross industry issues: secondary care / homecare – who has responsibility for tracking and recording of codes?

•Issues in primary care: connectivity and networking issues raised – verification response time needs to be short

Discussion needed!

What are the most appropriate step(s) in the process for identification to happen ? –

•Point of dispensing only•Point of dispensing plus random points along the supply chain•Point of dispensing plus systematically along the supply chain Who is going to pay for this?What happens if legislation changes? Does this need enforcing – won’t happen otherwise? 

Pan European issues:

•Europe are seeking harmonisation across Europe on standards, scanning mechanism (GS1 Or similar?) and repository approach

•When importing, products will need to be checked out of one countries repository and into another

•Who will hold the verification repository? options include: Centralised Europe repository, National Repository or a stakeholder owned repository (joint pharmacy and industry associations via not for profit organization). Complications include some countries may want to collaborate on setting up joint repositories and some may wish autonomy).• 

Benefits

•Patient safety –the most important•Efficiency improvements (though wholesalers voiced concerns over additional workload if scanning each pack was imposed)•Aid investigation of errors•Aid product recall process•Having a unique identifier will ensure counterfeiters can’t

produce large batches of product – less cost effective •Companies that adopt 2D will be seen as having a differentiating factor when UK making purchasing decisions

Risk

manufacturers not willing to adopt will leave the UK market –

what impact will that have on UK supply chain?

Summary!

Current Projects for CMU

KPI reports-• JAC v4.47 and Crystal X1•Ascrbe v8

Stockholding Report-• 2 email addresses

Homecare

Homecare

Want to identify the homecare spend

•Request to hospital pharmacy to include the word (Home) in the supplier names

•And possibly to include the word (Home) in the product Description.

•Onerous•Difficult•Are you affected?

To Summarise

•NHS dm+d- add product into Data base

•GS1- not for profit global organisation- manage coding carriers

•EU Falsified Medicines Directive- tamper evidence and unique identification of product. Risk assessment for opt-out for all POMs

for opt-in for all Ps

•Projects for CMU- KPIs; Stockholding; Homecare

Judie Finesilver MRPharmS

e-Business Pharmacist

Commercial Medicines Unit,

Department of Health

judie.finesilver@cmu.nhs.uk

07785 573 914

Update on barcodes & medicines-associated issues in NHS

February 23rd 2012 

Franklin Room, IBM United Kingdom Limited, 76/78 Upper Ground,