Coming Soon: QR Codes On Vaccines, Anti-Cancer Drugs, Narcotics & More Despite Industry Pushback
The central government is set to mandate QR codes on labels of vaccines, anti-cancer drugs, narcotics, and other pharmaceutical products despite industry pushback, according to News18.
The Drug Consultative Committee (DCC) agreed in its June 17 meeting to mandate barcodes or QR codes on labels of all vaccines, antimicrobials, anticancer drugs, and narcotics and psychotropic substances regulated under the NDPS Act. This decision comes despite resistance from some industry stakeholders who cited concerns about low scanning rates and high capital expenditure.
The move aims to enhance traceability, combat counterfeit drugs, and improve pharmacovigilance. QR codes are already present on 300 top-selling medicines in India.
For other critical medical products, the plan has been in the works for several months. It was discussed in the 90th and 91st meetings of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), where the proposal was deliberated and agreed upon. The panel mentioned that a draft notification had already been prepared on the matter, as per the minutes of the DCC meeting seen by News18.
However, it was decided to hold a stakeholder consultation and further deliberation in the DCC.
How to scan medical products
The move, previously on hold, has now been given the green light.
The document clarified that the decision was put on hold after a stakeholder meeting in May, where at least two industry representatives raised concerns. They pointed out that the usage rate for scanning was low (0.3%) and the capital investment significant. Additionally, the industry did not benefit in terms of brand equity despite the additional costs.
Despite these objections, the DCC approved the move, considering public interest as a priority over industry concerns. The committee recommended that pharmaceutical manufacturers work to increase public awareness and adoption of QR code scanning. The panel has now approved amending the Drugs Rules, 1945, to incorporate this new labelling requirement.
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