India News | Pharma Industry Welcomes Bar Codes on Medicines to Check Duplication

By Shalini Bhardwaj

New Delhi [India], November 21 (ANI): The Union Health Ministry has now inserted schedule H2 to mandate Barcodes on the medicine of the top 300 brands of drugs.

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The move to insert schedule H2, after Schedule H1 aims to ensure authenticity and traceability through the manufacturing and supply chain and will be in effect from August 1, 2023.

The manufacturers of drug formulation products as specified in Schedule H2 shall print or affix Bar Code or quick response code on its packaging.

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According to the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, the decision has been taken to curb the sales of spurious medicines. "We welcome the step taken by the government of India, these QR codes in medicines will control the duplication of medicines," General Secretary of AIOCD Rajiv Singhal said.

"The manufacturers of drug formulation products as specified in Schedule H2 shall print or affix Bar Code or Quick Response Code on its primary packaging label or, in case of inadequate space in primary package label, on the secondary package label that store data or information legible with a software application to facilitate authentication." the notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reads.

"Once approved, the amendments to Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945 will come into force from May next year," it said.

"We welcome the government's move to introduce QR codes in medicine packaging as they can greatly help in controlling the counterfeiting of drugs by tracking their journey from factory to patient. Counterfeit drugs are a threat to patient safety and this initiative will be another important move towards assuring the authenticity and traceability of the drugs," India Formulations, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd Executive Vice President and Business Head Alok Malik said. (ANI)

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