“GS1 Peru took part in different meetings organized by DIGEMID (General Management of Medications, Supplies and Drugs). There is a general conviction within the body that it is extremely important to implement a national traceability system,” said Alberto Porras Collazos, a Senior Consultant at GS1 Peru.
The General Management of Medications, Supplies and Drugs will determine how and in what stages to implement the traceability system, which will reduce the falsification of medications and reduce the risk of medication errors.
Porras said that both institutions estimate that the pilot project will start this year.
In any case, Peru is already governed by Supreme Decree 024-2005 which states the specific code for pharmaceutical products as being EAN/USS, known as GTIN (Global Trade Item Number). This is a unique GS1 identification number that can be used with any commercial product or service.
“Every traceability system is linked to the concept of a supply chain in which different actors and sectors must take part and adequately record use for it to be successful,” said Porras.
In addition, he explained that the traceability system was adopted with good results in Egypt, India and Hong Kong, among other countries. He said that it is vital to start soon with the implementation process, as achieving full traceability may take several years.
“In the case of the health sector, what is desired is to ensure the safety of patients via a system that makes it possible to verify the origin of a product, record the history of movements and transfers throughout the supply chain and detect anomalies within a legally defined supply circuit,” concluded the Senior Consultant of GS1 Peru.
Source: GS1 Peru
