India looks at implementing national barcoding system

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has set up a committee to examine the feasibility of setting up a national, computerised drug distribution system in order to check the movement of substandard counterfeit medicines in the supply chain, reports Pharmabiz.

A survey of all the stakeholders in the supply chain will be carried out on behalf of the committee, which includes representatives of the regulatory bodies in a number of Indian states and is headed by deputy drugs controller Malai Mitra, says the article.

Meanwhile, the DCGI is also urging small-sized pharmaceutical companies in India to access a national subsidy system to help them start implementing a barcoding system for medicines. The scheme provides for a 75 per cent reimbursement of the initial set-up costs for barcoding systems.

Both developments tie in with recent initiatives by the Indian government to try to improve the transparency of India's pharmaceutical sector - a critical supplier of essential generic medicines for countries around the world - and shake off its image as a hub for counterfeit and substandard drugs.

Initially the barcoding requirements were targeted at medicinal exports, but the emphasis now seems to have shifted toward a more inclusive system that includes the domestic supply chain.


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