Pharma exporters to get time leeway on barcoding

The commerce ministry is to extend the earlier deadline of July 1 given to medicine exporters for affixing of barcodes on all drug shipments. Exporters are likely to get at least a year more, it is learnt.

However, the ministry is unlikely to relax the barcoding standards it had prescribed for the Rs 45,000-crore drug export sector, in a public notice on January 10 this year. The barcodes were expected to facilitate tracing and tracking of the products and thereby minimise the chances of genuine drugs being considered spurious or sub-standard.

The ministry had asked pharmaceutical companies to build track and trace capability for their exported medicines using barcode technology in line with GS1 global standards at three levels of packaging — primary, secondary and tertiary.

While barcoding on primary packs, which involves application of expensive 2D technology, may get a year’s extension, deadlines for affixing barcodes on bigger packs, the secondary and tertiary-level packing, could be shorter. Sources said the extension may be only three months on tertiary packs and six months for secondary-level packages.

In addition to the unique product identification code, packs are to also mention the batch number, expiry date and serial number.

While drug exporters had no complaint on introduction of barcodes on bigger packs, they were opposing the plans to make this mandatory for the primary pack or tablet strips.

Following the commerce ministry decision, the health ministry had issued similar orders to make barcoding mandatory for medicines made available within the country.