With the Union commerce ministry firm on the implementation of ID and bar codes for pharma exporting, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has recommended for the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to trace and track the products in circulation. The DCGI has identified 96 products to come under the trace and track umbrella beginning from July 1, 2011.

With the ministry of commerce firm on the implementation of bar coding and ID we have identified 96 products to come under our trace and track umbrella beginning from July 1, 2011, DCGI Dr Surinder Singh said and added that this effort would help to control the entry of counterfeit medicines in the market and help the enforcement teams to carry out faster checks.

The advanced technology implementations will take the Indian pharma industry to next level of growth. There are several RFID technology available and the industry needs to opt for any of these. While the practice is in vogue in the western world, we need to move with the times and this will take the industry and regulatory to higher efficiency, pointed out DCGI.

The move towards implementation of ID and bar code is welcome. European Union has mandated a trace and trace regulation and Indian industry should go all out to adhere to the same. It will improve the image of Indian products which have been dragged into controversies of counterfeit drugs. It is high time drug manufacturers in the country put this practice in place, stated Kaushik Desai, chairman, Industrial Pharmacy Division, Indian Pharmaceutical Association.

According to industry observers, application of ID and bar coding by the industry will see drugs being labelled allowing easy monitoring of its movement. It will reflect on the quality standards of the company and the efficient norms practised. There will be big difference in preventing error and thus saving time.

Members of Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceutical Association stated bar coding of products has been a much awaited move. It is a proven, efficient and more cost effective mode to capture data for a variety of applications. In fact, ID and bar coding should be a mandatory policy of individual pharma companies. When multinational companies like Pfizer and GSK are using ID and bar codes to trace the products, it is high time Indian pharma too take a clue and goes for the same.

The key benefits of ID and bar coding on pharma products would be to prevent risk from litigation. It will give a competitive edge to the pharma manufacturers and distributors. Therefore the pressure from regulatory authorities would be the only way to drive the adoption of these trace and track technologies, stated management experts from the Indian Institute of Management and scientists from Indian Institute of Science.

Going by the  number of not-of standard drugs being seized in the country, a ID and bar code will help the  pharmaceutical companies to better manage product recalls, stated Dr BR Jagashetty, Karnataka drugs controller.