Since the enactment of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act in 2013, members of the pharmaceutical supply chain have undertaken efforts to meet each of the major milestones contained within the statute’s 10-year timeline to further secure the safety of the products being distributed. The industry’s progress to 2023 interoperability was top of mind as supply chain and other stakeholders came together at HDA’s recent Traceability Online Seminar.

With 2020 underway, HDA’s John M. Gray provided perspective on the vital role of pharmaceutical distributors and the Alliance’s policy priorities as part of Chain Drug Review’s annual “Pharmacy Outlook” feature.

It has been clear for some time that the pharmaceutical supply chain has been concerned with meeting the November 27, 2019, saleable returns milestone. As the HDA’s Research Foundation’s annual Serialization Readiness Survey (conducted in May) notes, 79 percent of manufacturers have concerns with the viability of the Verification Router Service (VRS), while 82 percent of distributors are unsure about meeting the requirement.

With a new year in full swing, HDA President and CEO John M. Gray looked ahead to the organization’s 2019 priorities (along with other industry association executives) as part of the Chain Drug Review “Pharmacy Outlook” feature.

The Verification Router Service (VRS) started off as an idea in 2015. In 2016, it was identified as a preferred option for compliance with the 2019 saleable returns requirement (along with sending data via EPCIS). Since 2017, HDA has been convening industry stakeholders to write business requirements for the VRS, later pulling in solution providers to help with the technical details and then facilitating the group that developed the documentation that exists today.